tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744Wed, 14 Mar 2018 11:31:41 +0000God faith science Supermen hitler nietzche flat earth heliocentric ubermen aids sars bird flue swine ddtabortionevolution atheist empirical evidence hypocrite science dogs sciencepro-choiceslaverywarTRUTH in CHRISTa conservative christian blog focused on logic, reason, wisdom and TRUTHhttp://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Tyler Archibald)Blogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-7611725195292969542Sat, 03 Mar 2018 22:37:00 +00002018-03-08T06:49:04.477-07:00What Is The Perfect Law of Liberty? (James 1:25)<blockquote class="tr_bq"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NXwoPwBEDJE/Wpsd-jipVLI/AAAAAAAAEjM/lQYC4cCConQlg_eHMAyxvnpHe_J8DLU1gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/hands-1875444_640.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NXwoPwBEDJE/Wpsd-jipVLI/AAAAAAAAEjM/lQYC4cCConQlg_eHMAyxvnpHe_J8DLU1gCK4BGAYYCw/s400/hands-1875444_640.jpg" width="400"></a></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><br><blockquote class="tr_bq"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NXwoPwBEDJE/Wpsd-jipVLI/AAAAAAAAEjM/lQYC4cCConQlg_eHMAyxvnpHe_J8DLU1gCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/hands-1875444_640.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a>James 1:18-27</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">New English Translation (NET)</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">"18 By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.</blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><blockquote class="tr_bq"><blockquote class="tr_bq">19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. 20 For human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. 21 So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. 23 For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. 24 For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. 25 But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out—he will be blessed in what he does. 26 If someone thinks he is religious yet does not bridle his tongue, and so deceives his heart, his religion is futile. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world."</blockquote></blockquote></blockquote>James uses three different words to essentially refer to the same thing in this passage. We will look at each usage to see what they mean separately as well as together to discover what it is that James means by "the perfect law of liberty". The three usages are (1) the message of truth, (2) the perfect law of liberty, and (3) pure and undefiled religion.<br><br>Let's first look at the "message of truth". In verse 18 James says that the message (some translations: the word) is how we were given birth. For James, the half-brother of Jesus, birth here would be referring to re-birth--being born again. Then, in v. 21 he calls it that message "implanted within you" and "which is able to save your souls." The message that births you, then, is also the one that saves your soul. Not only that, but it is also implanted in you. This message both saves and regenerates and after that it indwells you. This must mean nothing less than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, it also means more than that. We see in Jeremiah that the law of the new covenant will be written on the hearts of those men and women belonging to that covenant.&nbsp;<br><br>Now, we will look at the law of liberty. Along with the "message of truth" James declares that we must live out the "perfect law of liberty" and not just take it in by the ear. You can quickly see that James merely continues his argument of the importance of being doers of the message by saying that we must also be doers of this law without making a new argument at all. Either the law of liberty exists in the message of truth or the message exists in the law. It should be clear that the message is not perfectly identical to the law but that the portion of each which involves application or (more likely) imperatives is the same. So then, he is referring to taking the same action in either case. That is, those things that we should do which are in the message are the same as the things that we should do which are in the law. So, the law of liberty and the message of truth both contain the same instructions for right conduct.<div><br>Lastly, we have pure religion. Just as in the law example of the mirror, here we have a person perceiving of themselves and then not living out a life in concord with that image. And we also have the idea of deceiving oneself both here and in the first section of the 'implanted word'. We can even see what I think is the same idea in v 24 where the man looks in the mirror and immediately forgets what sort of man he is. That man is not forgetful, but rather self-deceived! (There is also likely a tie to the double-minded man earlier in the chapter; cf. Moo.) So, once again James gives us a standard that is being heard or seen and then the absence or lack of living that standard out. That standard is, of course, God's standard of righteousness (see v. 20). Interestingly, here James gives us actual samples of that righteous conduct: "<span style="font-family: sans-serif;">to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world." So, James warns that religious claims do not make you a righteous dude if you are simply going to the temple--pagan or Jewish--but rather it is the implanted word with the law of liberty working out good for those around you. So, once again the aspect of all three that should be obeyed are the same commands and should be plainly taken as referring to the same thing.&nbsp;</span><div><span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">Putting it plainly, then the law of our true religion is found in the message of Jesus. I think it is safe to say that James here is saying that the person who lays claim to the fulfillment of all religion (which we know today as Christianity) and received the gospel, law and teaching of Jesus Christ is only fooling themselves if they are not living out the Law of Christ. As Paul said in Galatians 6:7 "</span><font face="sans-serif">Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."</font></div></div><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/kwX_XyuLHXQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/kwX_XyuLHXQ/what-is-perfect-law-of-liberty-james-125.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2018/03/what-is-perfect-law-of-liberty-james-125.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-6467630546576818549Thu, 31 Dec 2015 16:52:00 +00002015-12-31T10:00:05.691-07:00The Beginning and End: Light from Genesis, John, 1 John and Revelation for Kids<div><div><div><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">The Beginning and End: Light from Genesis, John, 1 John and Revelation for Kids.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">Ages 5-10</span></div><div><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">This children's Bible is completely unique. There is no Bible, currently on the market, for children of this age which is an actual English translation.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">This is a translation of the Greek and Hebrew Old Testament's first chapter of Genesis and of selections of John's writings (John, 1 John, and Revelation) from the Greek New Testament which speak of light.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">Illustrations award winning artist Roger Archibald.&nbsp;</span></div></div><div style="font-family: sans-serif;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-hGmjNDgz3II/VNqpG3JESoI/AAAAAAAAAQU/z3pG3Xbm4zc/s1600/received_857046057672000.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.ggpht.com/-hGmjNDgz3II/VNqpG3JESoI/AAAAAAAAAQU/z3pG3Xbm4zc/s640/received_857046057672000.jpeg" /></a></div></div><div><div>Ages 5-10&nbsp;</div><div>The first children's Bible of its kind. An actual English translation that they can comprehend. Watch how John picks up on the "light'' from Genesis chapter 1 and uses it in his Gospel and in his first letter and see God's plan unfold from creation to the cross to the end and fulfillment along with great illustrations.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-hGmjNDgz3II/VNqpG3JESoI/AAAAAAAAAQU/z3pG3Xbm4zc/s1600/received_857046057672000.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.ggpht.com/-hGmjNDgz3II/VNqpG3JESoI/AAAAAAAAAQU/z3pG3Xbm4zc/s640/received_857046057672000.jpeg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Genesis Chapter 1</div><div><br /></div>In the beginning of everything God made the whole world, and the sky and the outer space.<br /><br />Then, God said, "Light, exist!" Then light existed. God said that the light was good and, so, God moved the light away from the dark and made daytime and nighttime.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-satINJiFR8U/VNqpfxz2bsI/AAAAAAAAAQc/oZT8xXwMpK8/s1600/received_857113240998615.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.ggpht.com/-satINJiFR8U/VNqpfxz2bsI/AAAAAAAAAQc/oZT8xXwMpK8/s640/received_857113240998615.jpeg" /></a></div><div><br /><br />Then, God said, "There should be a canvas right&nbsp;in between&nbsp;the waters, as a background. This must keep the waters away from&nbsp;each other. Then, that is exactly what happened: God made the background--the canvas--and God moved the water down under the canvas and up on top of the canvas. Then, God named the canvas "the sky".<br /><br />Then, God said, "All you waters under the sky, come together into one big spot so that the ground is not covered up and it can be seen." &nbsp;Then, that is exactly what happened: the water under the sky--on the ground--was moved into its big spot and then the ground could be seen. Then, God named the ground "the earth" and all the waters that were brought together God named "lakes" and "oceans".</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ush45ticl3Q/VOaS-c1sbbI/AAAAAAAAAQw/Qp5-YuTCaNM/s1600/image1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.ggpht.com/-ush45ticl3Q/VOaS-c1sbbI/AAAAAAAAAQw/Qp5-YuTCaNM/s640/image1.jpg" /></a><br />Then, God said, "Earth, sprout green leafy plants on the ground; ones that grow from seeds that were from the same kind of plants. Grow trees that have fruit with seeds in the fruit so the seeds can grow more trees just like the ones that they came from." Then, that is exactly what happened.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ush45ticl3Q/VOaS-c1sbbI/AAAAAAAAAQw/Qp5-YuTCaNM/s1600/image1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://lh4.ggpht.com/-ush45ticl3Q/VOaS-c1sbbI/AAAAAAAAAQw/Qp5-YuTCaNM/s640/image1.jpg" /> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3 John</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 The Elder</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">&nbsp; &nbsp; To Gaius the loved.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 Beloved, I pray that you have a good life and be healthy in every way, just like you have a good spirit life.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/RqbfAdudxxg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/RqbfAdudxxg/the-beginning-and-end-genesis-john-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-beginning-and-end-genesis-john-1.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-2672231448631603537Fri, 05 Sep 2014 07:48:00 +00002018-03-13T19:26:18.749-07:00Review of a Heavily Misapplied Hermeneutic<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kmGh8c05JT8/WqiIQKXaMsI/AAAAAAAAEj8/DOprLMo1PAgTiZRtZplwNGR_jDmJcbZJwCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/jerusalem-1712855_640.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kmGh8c05JT8/WqiIQKXaMsI/AAAAAAAAEj8/DOprLMo1PAgTiZRtZplwNGR_jDmJcbZJwCK4BGAYYCw/s320/jerusalem-1712855_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />So many poor doctrines come from the oversimplification of and broad and indiscriminate application of an otherwise noble and sound hermeneutic, when the writers of the New Testament (the Spirit of God, really) did not adhere to the rule themselves. This is the hermeneutical rule that says that we should interpret a passage the way the original audience would have. This is particularly jeopardous when we are interpreting the OT passages and think, "Well, how would the Jews have understood it?" I am not here talking about cultural contexts where the meaning of a word or phrase was specific to that era. I am speaking of things that were specific to the Jews who were in a covenant with God and would interpret his word according to their experiences with Jehovah. What is wrong with their understanding? Why should we doubt it? <br />Several reasons. For one, we see new Testament usage of OT passages that are clearly alien to any OT Jewish understanding of the passage from when it was first received.&nbsp; What Jew would have thought that the "seed" of Abraham was referring, not to himself and his brethren, but to the Messiah? <br />Secondly, the Jews, like us all were limited by the flesh; sin's effect on our ability to think. They were also spoken of in terms that describe an obstinate mind--they are stiff -necked with heard hearts. <br />Thirdly, Jesus purposely hid the true meaning of his words from those who were not his true disciples. (See Matt 13) Romans 11:7-10 says of the OT Jews, "What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, as it is written:<br /><br />“God gave them a spirit of stupor,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; eyes that could not see<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; and ears that could not hear,<br />to this very day.”<br />&nbsp;And David says:<br /><br />“May their table become a snare and a trap,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; a stumbling block and a retribution for them.<br />&nbsp;May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; and their backs be bent forever."<br />Which sets up the question, how many OT Jews were believers? The Bible does not give any indication that there were many or, necessarily more than a handful. Is this the description of people that we want interpreting God's declarations?<br />Given that Jesus hid the meaning of his own words from them and "God gave them a spirit of stupor,<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; eyes that could not see<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; and ears that could not hear,<br />to this very day", why should we not think that the meaning of OT passages has been hidden from them, as well? I think it is safe to assume that they were hidden but many were revealed in later canonical writings (the NT) to those who believe in Jesus.<div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/Y9lqzYGusU8" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/Y9lqzYGusU8/review-of-heavily-misapplied-hermeneutic.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2014/09/review-of-heavily-misapplied-hermeneutic.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-7283128571648527576Fri, 11 Jul 2014 19:57:00 +00002018-03-13T19:39:04.259-07:00Once Saved Always Saved, Eternal Security, Perseverance of the Saints, and the Devil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WitYrJQj8nQ/WqiK10iYp2I/AAAAAAAAEkI/dhGy9VNUgV0geOjVVtMaDC3B2j0-fn6PgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/devil-1566853_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WitYrJQj8nQ/WqiK10iYp2I/AAAAAAAAEkI/dhGy9VNUgV0geOjVVtMaDC3B2j0-fn6PgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/devil-1566853_640.jpg" width="320"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div>There are innumerable questions that are posed in the minds of Christians daily. As a believer grows in maturity these questions usually grow in depth. More mature Christians can often get caught up trying to answer these technical, deep, and enigmatic questions and forget that there are people struggling with a lot of the more basic questions. A question after all, no matter how &#39;small&#39; (a relative idea), still needs answered. So, in an attempt to answer these questions I will be starting a series of answers to basic questions here on this blog.<br><div></div><a href="http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2014/07/once-saved-always-saved-eternal.html#more">Read more »</a><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/jmXVAK98NqQ" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/jmXVAK98NqQ/once-saved-always-saved-eternal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2014/07/once-saved-always-saved-eternal.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-414258554450887326Wed, 25 Jun 2014 08:51:00 +00002014-07-10T14:28:36.060-07:00A Sprout Saved<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i><u>A Sprout Saved</u></i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRA-BJ8nQoAAf0KAPsAdt9MGj2gapgi3yqZ0F5OsaZFjvueComT" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRA-BJ8nQoAAf0KAPsAdt9MGj2gapgi3yqZ0F5OsaZFjvueComT" /></a></div><br /><br />Cassidy was wandering through the fields and meadows. She was looking here and there. Yet she did not know what she was looking for. She saw many beautiful flowers and grasses. After not too long she happened into an area that was starting to become sparse with vegetation; a patch of grass here and a splotch of field flowers there. This made Cassidy decide she might now want to go home. But as she was about to take her last step and pivot she stopped with her lead foot in mid air. Because under her foot was a teeny tiny green little sprout.<br /><br />After rushing home to tell her uncle the news she realized the house was empty except for the pet parakeet which Cassidy and her uncle Jim had hatched with an incubator they bought from the internet. She wasn't worried; the house was often found this way. It was just her, uncle Jim and Softie, the bird, that lived there. However, she wasn't alone long. "Well, I'll tell you why they will win this season without an ounce of doubt!" Jim spoke as he ascended the front porch. "I wouldn't be so sure", said a man with a hat standing just below Cassidy's uncle. Jim welcomed the debate, "Well why don't you two come inside and we can hash this out over a drink or two?" Cassidy would have to wait to get her secret out.<br /><br />Uncle Jim and his two friends, Gary and George, argued for hours. They debated about the same subject until, finally, Cassidy, because she didn't think they would ever end or because she just couldn't listen to one more word, interrupted. "Guess what I found!" she blurted. As, all three men shut up and turned slowly to see what she was about, she tucked her imaginary tail between her legs and stared back with puppy dog eyes. "Well," said Jim, "what is it?" "Ummm... a sprout", she replied. "A sprout of what?" asked George. "Nobody knows", said Cassidy. The men chuckled. "How many people did you interview?" asked Gary. "Let's go take a look", said Jim.<br /><br />Cassidy led the way. As she went she warned the men not to step on the wild flowers. She was afraid that they would die. Gary mumbled, "It's not like they're roses." You must understand that in their city it was illegal to kill a rose--punishable by death! The reason for this was because it had been, for a long, long time, believed that roses were the ancestors of the people of that town; by means of evolution, of course. "Well, just don't step on my sprout", she retorted. "I bet it's a rose, uncle Jim", said Cassidy. But, he just replied, "I doubt it."<br /><br />Just then they happened upon the patchy area where she had spotted the sprout. "We're here!" she shouted. "Be careful where you walk now, gentlemen. Let's be careful not to crush the poor thing", said Gary. "Oh, don't be so sensitive, Gary. It's just a plant", spoke George. Jim reminded them saying, "Let's not forget the consequences of smashing a rose." "Well we don't know what it is or if it even exists, so let's not worry about it", replied George. "There it is!" exclaimed Cassidy.<br /><br />The three men and the one little girl all began to get down onto their hands and their knees to get a better look at the little sprout. After they had stared at it for quite some time, one man spoke: "Well, whatever it is, it certainly can't be a rose."<br /><br />"And why not?" asked another man.<br />"Because it is clearly only a sprout, as we can all plainly see."<br />"Yes, a sprout, but what will the sprout become? That is how you know what kind of sprout it is."<br />"Well, it really does not matter. I mean, I could squash it flat right now and nobody in their right mind would say that I had done something wrong."<br />"But, if it is a rose then you would have clearly done wrong."<br />"And, since it is only a sprout, therefore it cannot be shown that it is a rose."<br /><br />At that point in the debate another person of that city happened upon the group. The stranger overheard the conversation and interjected, "There is always science you know." In fact, the man was a scientist himself. "I have a very definitive way of determining whether a plant is a rose or not: a rodometer. And, it just so happens that I have one in my work case." All the men agreed it should be tested, though some said that it would not mean anything. So, the man opened up his case and put on his lab coat and his seeing glasses. Then he took a sampling cloth and gently rubbed the sprout. After putting the sample on a petri dish and placing the dish in his rodometer he pushed the button on the top right of the machine--the red one marked "Test".<br /><br />All four men and one little girl stood there while the tester tested the sprout sample. "I so hope it is a rose", said Cassidy. &nbsp;However, the men were all too busy arguing to hear her. Jim didn't want Cassidy to be sad if the sprout was a rose because it would likely die. George was the only one there who did not have any children or nieces or nephews. So, by the law of the city he would have to adopt the sprout, if it was a rose. He did not want to spend all of his time and money taking care of a rose. Gary was good man who thought deeply and cared about all life. He just knew that if they weren't 100% sure it was a rose that they ought to still err on the side of caution.<br /><br />"Ding!" That meant that the test was done. The scientist leaned over the machine to analyze the data. There it is. This sprout has, 100%, the DNA of a rose. "Wait, what is DNA?", asked Cassidy. Jim replied, "That's the genes--the stuff that makes our bodies into what they are." "That means it's a rose. Yipee!", she said with glee. " Gary commented, "Yep. It's conclusive proof." "Not so fast, you two," said George, "that's just one test. ...and that's just the DNA for what it will become." "You see," he continued, "a rose, like a human, is more than just its blueprint, that is what DNA is after all, a building plan. And a blueprint is not a &nbsp;building. It's just a plan for a building. A rose is a flower and a flower has petals and, as you can plainly see, this... thing does not have. Secondly, a rose has a sweet perfume; this grouping of plant cells has no odor at all. Thirdly, &nbsp;a rose is colorful; this new growth is just green like every other seedling." He paused to be sure everyone was understanding his argument. Then he continued, "As you can plainly see, the rose must have these three things in order to be a rose. This sprout has none of these things, therefore it is not a rose. It only is able to become a rose. And, because I don't have the ability to take care of a rose, we should kill it now, before it grows up into one, so that it does not wither away by malnutrition." "Nooooo!", shrieked Cassidy "You can't kill my rose." "Now, dear, stay out of these grown up matters. You are too<br /> young to understand something so complex. I must do what is right and honorable", George said with pride.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://authoritynutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/sprouting-seed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://authoritynutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/sprouting-seed.jpg" height="411" width="640" /></a></div>George then raised his foot and placed it above the sprout to squash it to death. But, before he lowered it, there was a voice that cried out loud, "Stop!" "What do you think you are doing in my garden?", said the voice. It was a woman's voice. Then, all four men and the one little girl looked behind them and saw a lady walking toward them from her porch. "Don't kill my rose", she said. "I'm sorry ma'am, but what makes you think this is a rose? As I've just got done teaching these folks, this little piece of vegetation does not have any of the attributes which make a plant a rose. So, what makes you think you can actually call it a rose when it is obviously just a bit of chlorophyll coming up out of the ground?" "Well, that is simple", she said, "I went to the store and bought rose seeds and I planted one in a whole in a mound directly under your foot. I know it is a rose because I planted a rose there. And if you all will excuse me, I have some rose food that I bought to feed that little rose bush and I have about a hundred more in the back garden."<br /><br />Cassidy shrieked again, but this time with delight. She was so happy that the little sprout was a rose for that meant that she would get to see it grow up. "Ma'am," she said, "would you teach me to take care of roses?" "I would enjoy that very much... If that is okay with your father", replied the woman. "Oh, I don't have any parents. I live with my uncle, Jim", said Cassidy. "Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice of you.", said Jim. "We are very sorry", he continued, "we didn't realize you had started a garden here." Then all four men left to go to their homes, but the one little girl stayed. And the two ladies sat and talked all about how to care for very young rose sprouts.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The End</div><br /><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/tKpuGYjVV10" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/tKpuGYjVV10/a-sprout-saved.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-sprout-saved.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-8187645307492696600Fri, 18 Apr 2014 01:20:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.121-07:00Heaven Is A Future Reality For All Believers For Real Burpo claims that "heaven is for real." I have to disagree with wee Burpo. Heaven is not for real. Rather, heaven is a future reality for all believers. I know it sounds like we are saying the same thing. The problem, as I see it, is that if I agree with his conclusion and use his language I am implicitly agreeing with the context of his statement, which includes all of the premises of his argument.<br /><br />What does this mean? Well, for starters, I would have to agree that he actually saw a relative of his in heaven. I cannot say whether he did or not, but I cannot just have faith in a child's anecdote. This is a foolhardy idea every other day of the week. Why not now? Another implicit agreement I would be making is that of the kind of heaven. The kind of heaven that Burpo says "is for real" is not the same as that which is described in God's revelation (scripture). <br /><br />So, for at least two reasons, I don't think it is a good idea to support or agree with Burpo or join with him in saying, "heaven is for real." <br />1) We have a far more reliable witness than a young child. Scripture speaks reliably about the reality and surety of the physical resurrection of Jesus and therefore the resurrection of those who remain in him and he in them. Hundreds of people saw Jesus walking, talking, eating and drinking after a three day stay in the grave. We need no witness of a little boy. 2) Heaven is not yet as it will be after the resurrection of the dead. Does heaven exist now? Yes! That is where the Almighty reigns on his throne. After the resurrection of the saints there will be a new heaven and a new earth--a physical heaven. This is not what the young lad saw. The heaven the boy saw is not for real.<br /><br />The fact that the &nbsp;movie is coming out so close to Easter should be rather concerning. Easter is a day celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul says that, as Christians, our hope is to be found in the historical fact of that resurrection. If we are putting our hope in the reliability of a boy then we are relegating scripture to the same (or lower) level of authority as a child's story. For these reasons I do not think we should support this movie. Stay at home and study the reliability of the historical account of the resurrection and why our hope lies within.<div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/b9e7hKIBqH0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/b9e7hKIBqH0/heaven-is-future-reality-for-all.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2014/04/heaven-is-future-reality-for-all.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-2188020212060522703Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:30:00 +00002018-03-13T19:43:40.255-07:00John 1:1c--A Contextual Argument<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_oX5gkq7Zog/WqiMKo1AfzI/AAAAAAAAEkU/og0pFMz0AQciN5Py4FrQe0GAn-TZNf2-wCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/church-window-511751_640.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_oX5gkq7Zog/WqiMKo1AfzI/AAAAAAAAEkU/og0pFMz0AQciN5Py4FrQe0GAn-TZNf2-wCK4BGAYYCw/s320/church-window-511751_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>1. John is monotheistic and believed the Shemah.<br />2. The three clauses in John 1:1 are to be taken as a whole sentence/thought.<br />3. Theos has a semantic range of possible definitions (e.g., divinely (1), God (1267), god (6), God's (27), God-fearing (1), godly (2), godly* (1), gods (8), Lord (1). in the NASB).<br />4. Theos with the article is normally, commonly, and usually to be taken as God--the Father.<br />5. Ho theos (ὁ θεος) in John 1:1b is the Father.<br />6. Because 1:1c is to be taken in the same sentence/thought as John 1:1a and b that narrows the semantic range of the θεος of clause c. It is predicating that the word was what the θεος of 1:1b was (the Word was God).<br />7. Since, 1:1b states that the Word and God were together (face to face) and because θεος lacks the article in 1:1c, then 1:1c cannot be saying that ὁ θεος and the Word are identical but are of the same substance, being, quality, or nature.<br />8. Therefore, The Word is God, but since John believed in the Shemah the Word was not God the Father. One God; two persons. John was at least a binitarian.<div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/kPO_2Cu-t0s" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/kPO_2Cu-t0s/john-11c.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2014/03/john-11c.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-8473427228354149139Sun, 02 Feb 2014 01:48:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.123-07:00Living by Grace Apart From the Law… Practically<br /><br />In what way are we free from the "law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2); the law of Moses? Positionally only? Or is it also practically? One way to tell is to look at its relation to grace. If we are "under grace" in position only then we are "not under law" in position only. However, if we are "under grace" practically then we are also "not under law" practically. We must look at how grace and law are used in specific passages which contrast the two.<br /><br />Going through the epistle to the Romans we first need to look at Chapter 3. Here it seems that what is contrasted is the works of the law and justification by grace (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%203%3A19-31%3B%204%3A13-16&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">vv. 19-31 and 4:13-16</a>). Then we get to Chapter 5. There really isn't much of a contrast here. Grace is first mentioned in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5%3A1-5&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">verse 2</a> and is described as the grace that we have been standing in but is not contrasted with the law. However, when we finally get to <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5%3A13&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">v. 13</a> law is there introduced. In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5%3A12-20&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">vv. 12-20</a> we see a definite contrast between sin and grace which is introduced and concluded by a brief talk of law. Paul speaks of a time before law (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5%3A13&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">v. 13</a>) and a time in which law came. He says that the law came in order to increase trespasses grace might reign more than death (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5%3A20&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">v. 20</a>). The only contrast of law and grace is that law produces sin and sin reigns in death while grace reigns through righteousness and those who receive grace reign in life (v. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+5%3A17%3B+21&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">17; 21</a>). This seems to be a usage of law and grace for daily living. If we continue under the law then sin will increase but there is nothing to worry about for grace aboundeth.<br /><br />Then there is the artificial chapter break of <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+6%3A1&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">6:1</a> where we are asked rhetorically whether we should then continue in sin. Paul answers emphatically, “May it never be!” He then asks another often overlooked (maybe overshadowed) rhetorical question, “How can we still live in sin since we died to it?” Paul continues on in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+6%3A12&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">Romans 6:12</a> compelling us to not let sin reign or to obey its passions. In verses <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+6%3A6-7&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">6-7</a> we are told the answer to the question “How can we still live in sin?” The answer is we can’t. He tells us that our old body was killed so that we would not be a slave of sin; but set free. Verse <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+6%3A14&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">14</a> tells us that the reason that we must not let sin reign is because sin does not rule us if we are under grace and not under law. So, the answer to the rhetorical question is again that we can’t. Here is a clear contrast where law and grace are both referring to daily living. Understanding that we are not under law but under grace compels us to live lives free from sin. We see the same thing in vv. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+6%3A15-23&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">15-23</a>. We are not going to continue in sin because we are under grace and not under the law, but this in no way makes us act lawlessly. Instead it makes us act righteously for we are now slaves to God and his righteousness (vv. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+6%3A15-23&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">15-19</a>).<br /><br />Moving right along we come to the 7th chapter of Romans. Paul assures us here in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+7%3A7&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">v. 7 </a>that we ought not equate the law with sin. Quickly, though, he moves to tell us that the law is the vehicle which sin uses to produce sin and death in us (vv. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+7%3A8-11&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">8-11</a>). In verse <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+7%3A13&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">13</a> Paul reassures us that the law did not bring death and that it is good in itself, but that sin again uses the law to become even more sinful (sinful beyond measure ESV) and the reason for this is because the law is spiritual but we are of flesh (v. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+7%3A14&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">14</a>). While Paul desires to keep the law and do good—which shows the law is good—he does not keep the law—which shows that it is his flesh or his indwelling sin which wants to break the law. So, again we see that the sinful nature of man works together with the law to produce lawless behavior (<a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+7%3A18-23&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">18-23</a>).<br /><br />However, if we continue on to chapter 8 we find the solution to the sin law problem. It is not being without law—lawlessness—but without a certain law. In v. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A2&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">2</a> we are shown that we have been set free from the law of sin and death which creates this vicious circle of sin-law-flesh-sin-death-sin by a better law—the law of the Spirit which is about life. Further, in vv. <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A3-4&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">3-4</a> we are told that God finally ended this circle—which the law could not do—by condemning sin in that flesh, which so weakened the law, in order that we could fulfill all the righteousness that the law demanded. This is done by walking according to the Spirit and living under the law of the Spirit. &nbsp;Verses <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A7-8&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">7-8</a> assure us that the fleshly minded person, who does not walk and live by the Spirit does not and cannot submit to God’s law and cannot please God. This chapter makes it clear that Paul is speaking about daily living.<br /><br />It seems in light of these passages that we really are to consider ourselves free from law practically and positionally. In only one of the above passages is Paul referring to only positional justification. The idea he puts forth is that the law causes us to sin—albeit not because of itself but because of our flesh, but the law is part of the equation. Since we are free from the law we are commended to live by the Spirit and by grace.<br /><br />This in no way makes us lawless. Paul corrects that idea. In chapter 8 we saw that we are to live by another law: the law of the Spirit. In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+9%3A21%3B+Galatians+6%3A2&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">1 Corinthians 9:21</a> and <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+9%3A21%3B+Galatians+6%3A2&amp;version=HCSB" target="_blank">Galatians 6:2</a> Paul uses the term Law of Christ. &nbsp;Both the Spirit and Christ are key landmarks (signs) of the New Covenant. When Paul speaks of the law of Christ or of the Spirit he is speaking of the law of a new covenant. In Hebrews we read that since we have a better covenant and a better high priest we need a new law. “For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also.” (Hebrews 7:12)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/kpr1S62IeXU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/kpr1S62IeXU/living-by-grace-apart-from-law.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2014/02/living-by-grace-apart-from-law.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-9100971099295324956Fri, 24 Jan 2014 17:31:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.129-07:00Frozen: Disney in a Post-Christian World Disney's latest animation Frozen is a great example of how post-Christian America really is.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Parents build fear into the girl. Love drives out fear for a believer. Legalistic parents often drive their children to rebel. Rebellion has dire consequences. Rebellion is sin. The wages of sin is death--to self, soul, casualties and in the end the cosmos.<br /><br />Hans Christian Andersen<br /><br /><br />Four Loves<br /><br />Goodwyn: Without giving too much away, what does the movie say about love?<br /><br />Henn: Well, it says a lot of things about love. It's hard to boil it down to one particular sentence, because you see different types and different levels of love that are culturally prevalent throughout. You've got the very shallow instant gratification kind of love that Anna feels. You've got the element of sacrifice. You've got the innocent childlike love that Olaf brings to the film. So it really paints a very broad picture of different aspects of love and maybe what's true love versus what's really kind of a pretend or a false love. It appeals on a lot of different levels.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbn.com/entertainment/screen/frozen-disney-mark-henn-interview-goodwyn.aspx">https://www.cbn.com/entertainment/screen/frozen-disney-mark-henn-interview-goodwyn.aspx</a><br /><br />Goodwyn: The evolution of female characters in Disney animated features from Cinderella up until now is clear. What does Frozen say to young girls?<br /><br />Henn: Part of the big evolution in terms of the role of our leading ladies and our princesses, for lack of a better term, have "undergone" is that early on a lot of times the girls tended to be more reactionary to things that would happen to them. They needed somebody to come alongside and save the day, so to speak. And that may have been true years ago, but nowadays, the stories are a little more complicated. The characters are more proactive. It's not things necessarily happening to them alone, but it's their decisions, their wants and dreams and desires that propel them forward, that propel the story. They make decisions and there are consequences good and bad that move the story along. That's been a big jump in the way we've told our stories and the types of stories that we've told, starting with The Little Mermaid, which was kind of the prototype of that new type of story, or new type or heroine where she's making decisions. The world isn't just happening to her and she's just like, "Oh, help! Somebody help me!" She's saying, "I'm not happy with this and I'm going to do something about it." Then she's going to deal with the consequences good and bad of those decisions. That's probably been the biggest swing that I've seen over the course of our films.<br /><br />Mulan is another great example of that. Her story is she's making a decision because she loves her family. She loves her father so much, but she makes this decision to essentially defy him to protect him. So, those are very deep dilemmas, and very real for some people. We all, boys and girls, men and women, we all have to face those kind of decisions. So I think that kind of storytelling, it's just enriching the films that we're doing these days.<br /><br />For young girls today, I hope that they look at them as the same way little girls and little boys looked at the characters from the past, as good, positive role models with decisions. There may be consequences good and bad, but that there's a strength there. There's a desire to follow your dreams and follow your heart. Again, you may have to suffer consequences good and bad depending on what those decisions are, but those are very applicable types of role models for kids today, and particularly young girls.<br /><br /><br />Goodwyn: What in Frozen do you think will appeal to Christians?<br /><br />Henn: Oh, well, there are a lot of things. It's not always very obvious in the stories, but I think whether it's obvious or not, I think one of the aspects is the whole notion of the different types of love that are demonstrated, are portrayed in the film. You have a variety of types of love shown from Olaf, very naïve, childlike love and affection, to Anna's very reactionary, very seemingly true love, but it's a bit shallow when she meets Hans.<br /><br />Christian families can use [Frozen] to talk to their kids ultimately [about] honest, sacrificial love. We all understand that. The love of Christ is sacrificing His life because He loved us so much. God so loved the world through Christ. That's sacrificial love. Those are elements that, while not so blatantly, "here's a Christian message", but they're there. For Christian families in particular, they can just peel back the layers a little bit and then be willing to, as parents, talk to their kids and just have conversations about that.<br /><br />Those things are always prevalent in our films, more in some and less in others. But certainly love is a big part of that, and trust, and the risks involved with love, and within a family structure, and all those things can be talked about.<div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/GztSwBRL3qw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/GztSwBRL3qw/frozen-disney-in-post-christian-world.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2014/01/frozen-disney-in-post-christian-world.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-1774626689663022550Fri, 24 Jan 2014 14:27:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.073-07:00Pagan Temples and You<div class="tr_bq">We hear a lot about the Bible and its relevance to people today. This is understandable given the huge contrast inherent in the relation between the first and twenty-first centuries. Historical context is sometimes hard to relate to. However, sometimes we are presented with opportunities to see a Biblical historical context in a present-day context, in order to better understand Biblical concepts. In Arizona we have such and opportunity.</div><br />In 1 Corinthians 8 we read about something quite odd that we would never expect to see in &nbsp;twenty-first century America. All of chapter 8 is written "with regard to food sacrificed to idols" (v. 1). Unless you are an American (this applies to those in almost all Westernized countries) who has traveled to India you have likely never seen a food that has been sacrificed to... anything. In this chapter Paul goes on to give instructions about "eating food sacrificed to idols" (v. 4). Further, if you read the entire chapter you will see that Paul is also making a point about how our interaction with food sacrificed to idols could be a 'stumbling block; to the 'weak' and we might cause them to be 'destroyed'.<br /><br />So, what is going on here? The best way &nbsp;to understand these kinds of imperatives that Paul gives to the local churches and to see if and how they apply to us today is to put ourselves into their shoes. Sometimes this is an easy task. However, when we are dealing with commands about antiquated--seemingly barbaric practices-- such as eating the meat of animals that have been ceremonially slaughtered to a God of... let's say harvest, while seated in a temple of that God, we will quickly find ourselves clueless as to how we could possibly relate to these first century believers. If only we had a pagan temple with food sacrificed to idols.<br /><br />Where have all the pagans gone? Well, you may not have to look too far if you live in Arizona. While we may not have any pagans as the word is used in the Bible; and while we may not have any temples where we might eat food sacrificed to idols, on Sunday, March 2nd you will have the 'opportunity' (you will be able to decide after reading this if it really is an opportunity) to experience something very close. On that day the general public who are not members of the LDS organization will be allowed to enter something that looks very much like a '<a href="http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/gilbert/" target="_blank">pagan temple</a>'. The LDS org. has built something that is visually impressive and in my opinion is an abomination (spiritually and&nbsp;architecturally!): the Gilbert Arizona LDS Temple. <br /><br />You may be wondering how on earth this is relevant to 1 Corinthians 8. Well, I will now tell you.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i><b>Dedication</b></i><br />The Gilbert Arizona Temple will be dedicated in three sessions at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, and 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 2, 2014. Sessions will be broadcast to all stakes and districts in Arizona, and Sunday block meetings will be cancelled for those units. Members ages 8 and older who have been issued a recommend may view the broadcast. Specific instructions for attendance will be made available through local priesthood leaders.</blockquote><div><br /></div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><i><b>Angel Moroni Raising</b></i><br />On May 15, 2012, hundreds of spectators gathered to the Gilbert Arizona Temple to witness the raising of the gold-leafed angel Moroni statue atop the single central spire. Numerous students, who attend a grade school across the street from the temple, gathered in the school parking lot that day with their families. As Moroni began his flight, a large group of middle school students created a spiritually poignant moment as they broke into song, singing the Primary favorite I Love to See the Temple.</blockquote><br />The Gila Valley LDS Temple quote:<br /><br /><blockquote>"There is a difference in just attending the temple and having a rich spiritual experience. The real blessings of the temple come as we enhance our temple experience. To do so, we must feel a spirit of reverence for the temple and a spirit of worship."<br />—L. Lionel Kendrick</blockquote>Acts 19:21-41 Zeal for the Temple of Artemis<br /><br /><br />About sixteen stories tall.<br />&nbsp;About 915,000 sq ft. property<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SxlHaztVu6A/UtxfyHDS9II/AAAAAAAAAPE/oP2OipROjj4/s1600/gilbert-mormon-temple1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SxlHaztVu6A/UtxfyHDS9II/AAAAAAAAAPE/oP2OipROjj4/s1600/gilbert-mormon-temple1.jpg" height="259" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />About one hundred feet tall.<br />About 68,000 sq ft. building.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EFEa_j0l2Nk/Utxgbirv1GI/AAAAAAAAAPU/ZeSYUUCd2ZU/s1600/Temple-of-Artemis-at-Ephesus.01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EFEa_j0l2Nk/Utxgbirv1GI/AAAAAAAAAPU/ZeSYUUCd2ZU/s1600/Temple-of-Artemis-at-Ephesus.01.jpg" height="227" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/lNDAKGve2bI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/lNDAKGve2bI/pagan-temples-and-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2014/01/pagan-temples-and-you.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-7002962100580672769Mon, 13 Jan 2014 21:01:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.113-07:00<div class="chapter-1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span class="text Rom-9-1" id="grc-SBLGNT-4984"><span class="chapternum" style="bottom: -0.1em; font-size: 1.25em; font-weight: bold; left: 0px; line-height: 0.8em; position: relative;">2&nbsp;</span></span><span class="text Rom-2-23" id="grc-SBLGNT-4813"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">23&nbsp;</span>ὃς ἐν νόμῳ καυχᾶσαι, διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως τοῦ νόμου τὸν θεὸν ἀτιμάζεις;</span>&nbsp;<span class="text Rom-2-24" id="grc-SBLGNT-4814"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">24&nbsp;</span>τὸ γὰρ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ δι’ ὑμᾶς βλασφημεῖται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, καθὼς γέγραπται.</span><br /><span class="text Rom-2-25" id="grc-SBLGNT-4815"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">25&nbsp;</span>Περιτομὴ μὲν γὰρ ὠφελεῖ ἐὰν νόμον πράσσῃς· ἐὰν δὲ παραβάτης νόμου ᾖς, ἡ περιτομή σου ἀκροβυστία γέγονεν.</span><span class="text Rom-2-26" id="grc-SBLGNT-4816"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">26&nbsp;</span>ἐὰν οὖν ἡ ἀκροβυστία τὰ δικαιώματα τοῦ νόμου φυλάσσῃ,<span class="footnote" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="[&lt;a href=&quot;#fgrc-SBLGNT-4816a&quot; title=&quot;See footnote a&quot;&gt;a&lt;/a&gt;]"></span>οὐχ ἡ ἀκροβυστία αὐτοῦ εἰς περιτομὴν λογισθήσεται;</span>&nbsp;<span class="text Rom-2-27" id="grc-SBLGNT-4817"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">27&nbsp;</span>καὶ κρινεῖ ἡ ἐκ φύσεως ἀκροβυστία τὸν νόμον τελοῦσα σὲ τὸν διὰ γράμματος καὶ περιτομῆς παραβάτην νόμου.</span>&nbsp;<span class="text Rom-2-28" id="grc-SBLGNT-4818"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">28&nbsp;</span>οὐ γὰρ ὁ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ Ἰουδαῖός ἐστιν, οὐδὲ ἡ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ ἐν σαρκὶ περιτομή·</span>&nbsp;<span class="text Rom-2-29" id="grc-SBLGNT-4819"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">29&nbsp;</span>ἀλλ’ ὁ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ Ἰουδαῖος, καὶ περιτομὴ καρδίας ἐν πνεύματι οὐ γράμματι, οὗ ὁ ἔπαινος οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀλλ’ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ.</span><br /><span class="text Rom-9-1"><span class="chapternum" style="bottom: -0.1em; font-size: 1.25em; font-weight: bold; left: 0px; line-height: 0.8em; position: relative;"><br /></span></span><span class="text Rom-9-1"><span class="chapternum" style="bottom: -0.1em; font-size: 1.25em; font-weight: bold; left: 0px; line-height: 0.8em; position: relative;">9&nbsp;</span></span>&nbsp;<span class="text Rom-9-3" id="grc-SBLGNT-4986"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">3&nbsp;</span>ηὐχόμην γὰρ&nbsp;<span class="footnote" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="[&lt;a href=&quot;#fgrc-SBLGNT-4986a&quot; title=&quot;See footnote a&quot;&gt;a&lt;/a&gt;]"></span>ἀνάθεμα εἶναι αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ σάρκα,</span>&nbsp;<span class="text Rom-9-4" id="grc-SBLGNT-4987"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">4&nbsp;</span>οἵτινές εἰσιν Ἰσραηλῖται, ὧν ἡ υἱοθεσία καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ αἱ διαθῆκαι καὶ ἡ νομοθεσία καὶ ἡ λατρεία καὶ αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι,</span>&nbsp;<span class="text Rom-9-5" id="grc-SBLGNT-4988"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">5&nbsp;</span>ὧν οἱ πατέρες, καὶ ἐξ ὧν ὁ χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων, θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;"><span class="text Rom-9-6" id="grc-SBLGNT-4989"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">6&nbsp;</span>Οὐχ οἷον δὲ ὅτι ἐκπέπτωκεν ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ. οὐ γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραήλ, οὗτοι Ἰσραήλ·</span>&nbsp;<span class="text Rom-9-7" id="grc-SBLGNT-4990"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">7&nbsp;</span>οὐδ’ ὅτι εἰσὶν σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ, πάντες τέκνα, ἀλλ’· Ἐν Ἰσαὰκ κληθήσεταί σοι σπέρμα.</span>&nbsp;<span class="text Rom-9-8" id="grc-SBLGNT-4991"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">8&nbsp;</span>τοῦτ’ ἔστιν, οὐ τὰ τέκνα τῆς σαρκὸς ταῦτα τέκνα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας λογίζεται εἰς σπέρμα·</span>&nbsp;<span class="text Rom-9-9" id="grc-SBLGNT-4992"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">9&nbsp;</span>ἐπαγγελίας γὰρ ὁ λόγος οὗτος· Κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἐλεύσομαι καὶ ἔσται τῇ Σάρρᾳ υἱός.</span>&nbsp;<span class="text Rom-9-10" id="grc-SBLGNT-4993"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">10&nbsp;</span>οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ῥεβέκκα ἐξ ἑνὸς κοίτην ἔχουσα, Ἰσαὰκ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν·</span>&nbsp;<span class="text Rom-9-11" id="grc-SBLGNT-4994"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">11&nbsp;</span>μήπω γὰρ γεννηθέντων μηδὲ πραξάντων τι ἀγαθὸν ἢ&nbsp;<span class="footnote" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="[&lt;a href=&quot;#fgrc-SBLGNT-4994b&quot; title=&quot;See footnote b&quot;&gt;b&lt;/a&gt;]"></span>φαῦλον, ἵνα ἡ κατ’ ἐκλογὴν πρόθεσις τοῦ θεοῦ μένῃ,</span>&nbsp;<span class="text Rom-9-12" id="grc-SBLGNT-4995"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">12&nbsp;</span>οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ἀλλ’ ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦντος, ἐρρέθη αὐτῇ ὅτι Ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάσσονι·</span>&nbsp;<span class="text Rom-9-13" id="grc-SBLGNT-4996"><span class="versenum" style="font-size: 0.75em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">13&nbsp;</span><span class="footnote" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="[&lt;a href=&quot;#fgrc-SBLGNT-4996c&quot; title=&quot;See footnote c&quot;&gt;c&lt;/a&gt;]"></span>καθὼς γέγραπται· Τὸν Ἰακὼβ ἠγάπησα, τὸν δὲ Ἠσαῦ ἐμίσησα.</span><br /><span class="text Rom-9-13"><br /></span><span class="text Rom-9-13"><br /></span><span class="text Rom-9-13"><br /></span></div><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=PotpUKTZORk:ks87tKNFW9o:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=PotpUKTZORk:ks87tKNFW9o:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=PotpUKTZORk:ks87tKNFW9o:TzevzKxY174"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=TzevzKxY174" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/PotpUKTZORk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/PotpUKTZORk/2-23-24.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2014/01/2-23-24.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-6805462212587988837Sun, 22 Dec 2013 16:11:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.111-07:00Things You Must Know About Your Bible<br />Greek : <br />Certain preposition meanings.<br />Causal statements and words. Since, because, through, by.<br />Words you must learn.<br /><br />Manuscripts:<br />When are variants important.<br /><br />Bible Versions:<br />When to look at another translation.<br />Which versions are not for learning about God.<br />When should anyone ever read the KJV.<br /><br />Hermeneutics:<br />Immediate Context may go beyond the artificial paragraph or chapter break.<br />Artificial punctuation.<br />Not all commands are commands.<br /><br /><br /><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=2oEwGwm0_gE:IugMtt8bvHw:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=2oEwGwm0_gE:IugMtt8bvHw:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=2oEwGwm0_gE:IugMtt8bvHw:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=2oEwGwm0_gE:IugMtt8bvHw:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?i=2oEwGwm0_gE:IugMtt8bvHw:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=2oEwGwm0_gE:IugMtt8bvHw:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=2oEwGwm0_gE:IugMtt8bvHw:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?i=2oEwGwm0_gE:IugMtt8bvHw:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=2oEwGwm0_gE:IugMtt8bvHw:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=2oEwGwm0_gE:IugMtt8bvHw:KwTdNBX3Jqk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?i=2oEwGwm0_gE:IugMtt8bvHw:KwTdNBX3Jqk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=2oEwGwm0_gE:IugMtt8bvHw:TzevzKxY174"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=TzevzKxY174" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=2oEwGwm0_gE:IugMtt8bvHw:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?i=2oEwGwm0_gE:IugMtt8bvHw:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=2oEwGwm0_gE:IugMtt8bvHw:l6gmwiTKsz0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=l6gmwiTKsz0" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/2oEwGwm0_gE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/2oEwGwm0_gE/things-you-must-know-about-your-bible.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2013/12/things-you-must-know-about-your-bible.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-2185635162421326541Tue, 17 Dec 2013 23:34:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.081-07:00Ten Tips: How to Make Christmas Other-Person Centered Christmas is by far the biggest of all American Christian celebrations. Throughout the year's holidays we spend the most time and effort on this holiday. If we are truly Christians and we are involved in the largest of all Christian holidays we should be most focused on portraying our Christian distinctives. We ought to be paying extra-special attention to how we think about God and how we treat one another. Here is a list, of no specific order, containing some guidelines for being other-person centered.<br />(Be sure to read the Bible passages.)<br /><br /><br /><i><u>1. Write a Christmas list.</u></i><br />While you may not want much (or even anything) in the way of gifts this year, people will still be buying you gifts. Believers want to, by nature, love you. Make it easy for them to do so.<br />(Philip. 2:1-5; Philem. 1:7; Heb. 10:24-25)<br /><br /><i><u>2. Make Christmas Christ centered.</u></i><br />Yes, Jesus is the reason for the season; but Jesus is the reason for <b style="font-style: italic;">everything </b>we&nbsp;do--every season of life. When we are told in the NT what we ought to do it is always (almost) in light of what <b><i>He</i></b> has done for us.<br />(Eph. 5:2, 25; Titus 3:4-8; 1 Jn. 3:16)<br /><br /><i><u>3. Un-isolate the family/ies</u></i><br />Though the general sentiment around the holidays is one of joining the families together, there seems to be a temptation to keep as much time alone (as a domestic family unit or an individual) as is conceivable. It is quite hard to love people, as I'm sure all would agree, when you are not near them. Try to keep yourselves from being isolated from your larger physical family and especially your spiritual family. If your plan is to love "one another" then isolation is a bad idea.<br />(Heb. 10:24-25)<br /><br /><i><u>4. Don't buy anything for yourself during this time.</u></i><br />It is hard for people to think of something you would actually like--especially if you are an adult making a decent living. I don't know how many times I've bought something (or was planning to) that I thought a person I love would really like where they ended up buying it for themselves. This is an easy way to stay focused on other people. Make the givers the ones who are more important than you.<br />(Acts 20:35; Philip. 2:3)<br /><br /><i><u>5. Unload your schedule to equip yourself.</u></i><br />Our desire ought to be that we would be used as an instrument in the Lord's hands. Another practical tip for the Christmas season is to be able to spend more physical and mental energy and resources on others you must regulate and balance your time and responsibilities. Free yourselves up to be used by Him to love others.<br />(2 Cor. 6:4; Rom. 6:13, 7:5, 12:1; 1 Pet. 4:2)<br /><u><i><br /></i></u><u><i>6. Christmas is not a birthday party.</i></u><br />My daughter, who is five, seems to equate Christmas with a celebration of Jesus' birthday. There is very good reason for her to hold this view: most Evangelicals act like they believe this. When we neglect to focus on <i><b>why </b></i>Jesus came but rather focus on <i style="font-weight: bold;">that</i>&nbsp;he came we will neglect to focus on our Christian duties.<br />(1 Jn. 3:5; 1 Tim 1:15)<br /><u><i><br /></i></u><i><u>7. The greatest gift you can receive is grace.</u></i><br />Spending too much attention on the material gifts will draw attention away from the superior gift; that we have received forgiveness of sins. If we have been forgiven much we should forgive and love much. Remembering the real reason Christ came and the gift we have received will help us to show grace to those around us this time of year.<br />(Luke 7:47; John 15:12-13, 17:23-26)<br /><br /><u><i>8. Christmas isn't just for family.</i></u><br />Let us remember to extend our time and money, as love, to not only our immediate family; not only to our extended family; not only to our friends; but to those who are strangers to us and enemies of us. Keep an eye out for opportunities to care for people that you would not normally care for.<br />(Matt. 5:44, 22:39; Luke 6:27, 6:35; Jam. 2:8; Rom. 13:10; Gal. 5:14)<br /><u><i><br /></i></u><u><i>9. Be a minimalist.</i></u><br />Take a practical approach. Keep it simple. Be flexible. Don't buy a lot of gifts. Let the important things stand out. Love one another.<br /><u><i><br /></i></u><u><i>10. Be content in all things.</i></u><br />(Philip. 4:11)<br /><br /><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=5w0zY4RMABg:RWqxSt5_4UQ:63t7Ie-LG7Y"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=63t7Ie-LG7Y" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=5w0zY4RMABg:RWqxSt5_4UQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=5w0zY4RMABg:RWqxSt5_4UQ:dnMXMwOfBR0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=dnMXMwOfBR0" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=5w0zY4RMABg:RWqxSt5_4UQ:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?i=5w0zY4RMABg:RWqxSt5_4UQ:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=5w0zY4RMABg:RWqxSt5_4UQ:7Q72WNTAKBA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=5w0zY4RMABg:RWqxSt5_4UQ:V_sGLiPBpWU"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?i=5w0zY4RMABg:RWqxSt5_4UQ:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=5w0zY4RMABg:RWqxSt5_4UQ:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=5w0zY4RMABg:RWqxSt5_4UQ:KwTdNBX3Jqk"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?i=5w0zY4RMABg:RWqxSt5_4UQ:KwTdNBX3Jqk" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=5w0zY4RMABg:RWqxSt5_4UQ:TzevzKxY174"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=TzevzKxY174" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=5w0zY4RMABg:RWqxSt5_4UQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?i=5w0zY4RMABg:RWqxSt5_4UQ:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?a=5w0zY4RMABg:RWqxSt5_4UQ:l6gmwiTKsz0"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/hisonetruth?d=l6gmwiTKsz0" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/5w0zY4RMABg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/5w0zY4RMABg/ten-tips-how-to-make-christmas-other.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2013/12/ten-tips-how-to-make-christmas-other.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-1874897707210762889Tue, 17 Dec 2013 16:01:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.076-07:00Thomas Watson's Art of Divine ContentmentI will be modernizing Chapter 14 of <br /><h1 class="book-navbar-title" property="dc:title" style="clear: none; color: maroon; margin: auto; overflow: hidden; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.ccel.org/ccel/watson/contentment" property="dc:relation" style="color: #c00000; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" title="Return to Book Overview"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Art of Divine Contentment: An Exposition of Philippians 4:11</span></a></h1><div>Rule 1. Advance faith. All our disquiets issue immediately from unbelief. It is this that raises the storm of discontent in the heart. O set faith to work! It is the jurisdiction of faith to silence our doubting, to scatter our fears, to still the heart when the passions are roused. Faith moves the heart to a sweet, serene composure; it is not having food and raiment, but having faith, which will make us content. Faith censures passion—when reason begins to sink, let faith swim. How does faith work contentment? 1. Faith shows the soul that whatever its trials are, still it is from the hand of a father. It is indeed a bitter cup, but “shall I not drink the cup which my father hath given me to drink?” It is in love toward my soul: God corrects me with the same love with which he crowns me. God is now training me up for heaven; he carves me, to make me a polished shaft. These sufferings bring forth patience, humility, even the peaceful fruits of righteousness. (Hebrews 12:11) And if God can bring such sweet fruit out of our stock, let him graft me in wherever he pleases. In this way, faith brings the heart to holy contentment. 2. Faith sucks the honey of contentment out of the hive of the promise. Christ is the vine, the promises are the clusters of grapes that grow upon this vine, and faith presses the sweet wine of contentment out of these spiritual clusters of the promises. I will show you merely one cluster, “the Lord will give grace and glory;” (Ps. 84. 11) this is enough for faith to live upon. The promise is the flower out of which faith distills the spirits and “pure essence” of divine contentment. In a word, faith carries the soul up and makes it strive after more generous and noble delights than the earth can afford and to live in the world above the world. Do you desire to live contented lives? Live up to the height of your faith.</div><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/_15JwfkALcY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/_15JwfkALcY/thomas-watsons-art-of-divine-contentment.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2013/12/thomas-watsons-art-of-divine-contentment.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-5244828012761327230Sat, 30 Nov 2013 18:36:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.097-07:00Frozen: Disney in a Post-Christian World <div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/Npdn5zWn4Cc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/Npdn5zWn4Cc/frozen-disney-in-post-christian-world.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/frozen-disney-in-post-christian-world.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-7785776371865760695Wed, 20 Nov 2013 23:15:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.119-07:00RemembranceI live and wander in the cracks of your hand; the sun sets on your fingers and rises on your wrist.<br />My faucet taps your veins; water springs from your capillaries.<br />Yet I cannot see your face.&nbsp;Familiarity has bred contentation; but not with you.<br /><br />Greatly do you stoop and pour down your countenance;<br />Deeply do you plunge and condescend to me.<br />At once and suddenly I see the plains as your palm and foothills as you fingers.<br />I thank you for the recollection of the mosaic of truth.<div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/rzxWTkBvS4M" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/rzxWTkBvS4M/remembrance.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2013/11/remembrance.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-2958583435173752581Mon, 21 Oct 2013 00:08:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.090-07:00Do We Really Need More Atheism?Pic of Rembrandt one of the greatest Paointers.<br />Pic of Michelangelo one of the greatest Sculptors.<br />Link to Bach one of the greatest musicians.<br />Link to wiki of Newton one of the greatest scientists.<br /><br />Pic of the Kamer Rouge one of the greatest atrocites.<br />Pic of the Holocaust one of the greatest atrocities.<br />Pic of Stalinic russia one of the greatest atrocities.<br />Pic of<br /><br />The worldviews of these people caused them to do what they did--not their religion; but can you really seperate the two?<br /><br /><br /><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/BZYh9LIqUUc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/BZYh9LIqUUc/do-we-really-need-more-atheism.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/do-we-really-need-more-atheism.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-2232072390192532203Sun, 20 Oct 2013 23:55:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.086-07:00Three Major Problems with Dispensational HermeneuticsThey wrongly use the idea that the correct interpretation is the interpretation of the original audience.<br /><br />Don't believe in the Analogy of Faith.<br /><br />Inconsistently hyper-literal.<div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/jH08chW_5Oo" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/jH08chW_5Oo/three-major-problems-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/three-major-problems-with.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-5636542292499150192Sat, 12 Oct 2013 14:11:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.104-07:00The Original Manuscripts of the New Testament<b><br /></b><b>We do not have the original manuscripts of the New Testament. What we have today are &nbsp;copies of the copies of the copies of the autographs. Why?</b><br /><br />Συντετέλεσται δῆτα καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς ἅπαντα, ὁπηνίκα τῶν μὲν προσευκτηρίων τοὺς οἴκους ἐξ ὕψους εἰς ἔδαφος αὐτοῖς θεμελίοις καταρριπτουμένους, τὰς δ᾿ ἐνθέους καὶ ἱερὰς γραφὰς κατὰ μέσας ἀγορὰς πυρὶ παραδιδομένας αὐτοῖς ἐπείδομεν ὀφθαλμοῖς τούς τε τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ποιμένας αἰσχρῶς ὧδε κἀκεῖσε κρυπταζομένους, τοὺς δὲ ἀσχημόνως ἁλισκομένους καὶ πρὸς τῶν ἐχθρῶν καταπαιζομένους,<br /><br />All these things were fulfilled in us, when we saw with our own eyes the houses of prayer thrown down to the very foundations, and the Divine and Sacred Scriptures committed to the flames in the midst of the market-places, and the shepherds of the churches basely hidden here and there, and some of them captured ignominiously, and mocked by their enemies. (Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, Book 8, Chapter 2)<br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />In other instances stiffer resistance is offered when believers were asked to give up their Christian books. In the account of the martyrdom of Agape, Irene, and Chione, at successive hearings the three women were interrogated by the prefect Dulcitius of Thessalonica, who inquired, ‘Do you have in your possession any writings, parchments, or books (ὑπομνήματα ἢ διφθέραι ἢ βιβλία) of the impious Christians?’ Chione replied, ‘We do not, Sir. Our present emperors have taken these &nbsp;from us’. On the next day Irene was once again brought before the court, the prefect asked, ‘Who was it that advised you to retain these parchments and writings (τὰς διφθέρας ταύτας καὶ τὰς γραφάς) up to the present time?’ ‘It was almighty God’, Irene replied, ‘who bade us love him unto death. For this reason we did not dare to be traitors, but we chose to be burned alive or suffer anything else that might happen to us rather than betray them’ (προδοῦναι αὐτάς, i.e. the writings).<br /><br />After sentencing the young woman to be placed naked in the public brothel, the prefect gave orders that the writings (τὰ γραμματεῖα) in the cabinets and chests belonging to her were to be burned publicly. The account concludes by describing how, in March and April of the year 304, the three became martyrs for their faith by being burned at the stake. (The Canon of the New Testament, Bruce M. Metzger, page 108)<br /><div><br /></div><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/ng4-WkUbCPI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/ng4-WkUbCPI/the-original-manuscripts-of-new.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-original-manuscripts-of-new.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-3392550033718067722Fri, 11 Oct 2013 19:21:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.093-07:00Jesus Sinks or Jesus Floats: Two views of Jesus' baptism<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις ἦλθεν Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ Ναζαρὲτ τῆς Γαλιλαίας καὶ ἐβαπτίσθη εἰς τὸν Ἰορδάνην ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου.&nbsp;</span>καὶ εὐθὺς ἀναβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος εἶδεν σχιζομένους τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ὡς περιστερὰν καταβαῖνον εἰς αὐτόν· Mark 1:9-19<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;"><br /><br /><u>A Baptist translation</u>: “And&nbsp;it <b><i>happened </i></b>in those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was submerged into the Jordan by John. And immediately, while <b><i>coming up</i></b> out of the water, he saw the heavens being ripped open and the spirit as a dove <b><i>coming down to</i></b> him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">A literal Baptist translation</span></u><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">: “And it <b><i>became </i></b>in those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was submerged into the Jordan by John. And immediately while <b><i>ascending</i></b>out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the spirit as a dove <b><i>descending into </i></b>him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">A Presbyterian translation</span></u><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">:</span> “And it <b><i>happened </i></b>in those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and <b><i><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">received the “rite of baptism”</span></i></b><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;"> </span>in the Jordan by John. And immediately, while <b><i>coming back </i></b>out <b><i>of </i></b>the water, he saw the heavens being ripped open and the spirit as a dove <b><i>coming down on </i></b>him.”</div><o:p></o:p> <div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"><u><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">A literal Presbyterian translation</span></u><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">: “And it <b><i>became </i></b>in those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and <b><i>was ceremonially cleansed</i></b> in the Jordan by John. And immediately while <b><i>ascending</i></b> out <b><i>from </i></b>the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the spirit as a dove <b><i>descending into </i></b>him.”<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">------------------------------------------------------------</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">βαπτισθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εὐθὺς ἀνέβη ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἠνεῴχθησαν οἱ οὐρανοί, καὶ εἶδεν πνεῦμα θεοῦ καταβαῖνον ὡσεὶ περιστερὰν ἐρχόμενον ἐπ’ αὐτόν·</span> Matthew 3:16</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">A Baptist translation</span></u><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">: “And having been submerged, immediately Jesus ascended from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove <b><i>going </i></b>upon him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">A literal Baptist translation:</span></u><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">“And having been submerged, immediately Jesus ascended from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the spirit of god descending like a dove <b><i>coming </i></b>upon him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">A Presbyterian translation:</span></u><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">“And having <b><i>received the “rite of baptism”</i></b>, immediately Jesus <b><i>returned</i></b>from the water and behold,</span> the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove <b><i>going </i></b>upon him.”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">A literal Presbyterian translation</span></u><span style="font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;; line-height: 115%;">: “And having <b><i>been ceremonially cleansed</i></b>, immediately Jesus <b><i>ascended </i></b>from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the spirit of god descending like a dove <b><i>coming </i></b>upon him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/_uim4Cn0nAs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/_uim4Cn0nAs/jesus-sinks-or-jesus-floats-two-views.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/jesus-sinks-or-jesus-floats-two-views.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-5095514146335223604Tue, 08 Oct 2013 19:15:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.095-07:00Finding the Middle: Part 4 What's wrong with Household Theology?<div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Abraham's Four Seeds<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">by John G. Reisinger<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">(New Covenant Theology)</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Appendix Number Four<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />An Exposition of Acts 2:39 and Infant Baptism.</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Acts 2:39<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Consider a few very obvious objections to using Acts 2:39 as a "proof text" for infant baptism:<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />1.&nbsp; Peter is speaking to unbelievers and not to Christian parents. He is telling convicted sinners how to be saved, not giving believing parents the assurance that their children are "in the covenant." The "you" in the phrase "the promise is unto you" are unbelievers asking what they must do to be saved.&nbsp; In the very next verse (40), Peter exhorts these unsaved people to "save yourselves from this untoward generation." How can an exhortation to lost sinners to trust Christ be turned into a promise to Christian parents that their children are in a special covenantal relationship with God?<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />2.&nbsp; The "promise" in Joel that Peter is quoting is "whosoever shall call on the Lord shall be saved" and it can in no way be connected to infant baptism.&nbsp; (Cf. Romans 10:13 where Paul also quotes Joel 2:32 and shows that "the promise" spoken of in Joel, and quoted by Peter, is the promise of the gospel to all unbelievers whether they are Gentiles or Jews.) Here is a classic illustration of what I said earlier concerning Biblical terminology versus phrases like "covenant of grace."&nbsp; Peter declaring the promise of the gospel of grace to unbelievers cannot be turned into "God making a covenant of grace with Christian parents," and yet this is exactly what covenant theologians do with this text.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />3.&nbsp; The children of believers have no more unique promise in this text than do those who "are afar off" (the heathen). Peter understood the gospel promise of whosoever in Joel to include three distinct groups.&nbsp; The promise that "whosoever shall call on the Lord shall be saved" is given to the following persons:<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A. To "you," unconverted and convicted sinners; and the same promise is to<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; B. "Your children," if they will repent and believe; and likewise the same promise is to<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; C. "All who are afar off" in heathen Gentile lands, if they will also repent and believe the same gospel.&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Let us look again at the comparison of Joel's prophecy and Peter's interpretation:<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Joel 2:32&nbsp; Acts 2:39<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; that WHOSOEVER shall call upon the Lord&nbsp; YOU, and to your CHILDREN, and to ALL that are AFAR OFF,<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; shall be delivered...&nbsp; [...shall receive Spirit...vs 38][...shall be saved...vs 40]<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; and in the REMNANT whom the lord shall call.&nbsp; even AS MANY as the Lord our God shall CALL.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And it shall come to pass,&nbsp; The promise is unto<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Notice how clearly Peter interprets the words whosoever and as many.&nbsp; What Peter is declaring is this:&nbsp; Just as all men without exception ("covenant" children included) are guilty lost sinners who need to be saved, so all men without exception ("covenant" children included and no "non-covenant" children excluded) are freely invited in the one gospel of grace to believe and be saved.&nbsp; Peter is showing that the gospel message is now to all men without exception and not just for the Jews. There is now only one category of lost people before God.&nbsp; No one is physically either inside or outside of a special covenantal category by birth.&nbsp; There is only one gospel message, and that one message is for all men without distinction or exception.&nbsp; You do not have unregenerate "pagan" children and unregenerate "covenant" children with different promises for each group.&nbsp; There is one gospel for all lost sinners.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />4.&nbsp; The last phrase "even as many as the Lord our God shall call" must be applied to all three categories mentioned in the text.&nbsp; Peter is saying, "as many as God shall call from among you, shall call from among your children, and shall call from among the heathen afar off." It is the sovereign effectual call of God in all three categories that determines the true objects of the promise. The one and only thing that determines whether a person is either "in" or "under" grace is the eternal election of God, and the only thing that proves it in time is the effectual call of the Holy Spirit.&nbsp; Being "under a covenant of grace" has nothing at all to do with physical birth.&nbsp; We must not destroy the universal offer of the gospel of God's free grace by turning it into a supposed "covenant of grace" given exclusively to Christian parents and "their seed." We also must not overthrow the doctrine of sovereign election by making the physical children of believers to be in a special spiritual category before God through physical birth and baptism.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A birth certificate proving you were born in the right home does not make you a covenant child.&nbsp; I repeat, this text of Scripture promises just as much to a "pagan" child who is "afar off" as it does to a so called "covenant child" born in a Christian home. The "promise" in Acts 2:39 is given equally to the pagans, to the hearers, and to their children.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />5.&nbsp; The people addressed in Acts 2:39 are still unbelievers in vs. 40, and they themselves get converted and baptized in vs. 41.&nbsp; It is exegetically impossible to make Acts 2:39 refer to Christian parents.&nbsp; Such a gross misuse of a text of Scripture is only possible by totally misunderstanding the "promise made to Abraham and his seed."<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is not accidental that hyper-Calvinism and a strong "covenant seed" concept go hand in hand. It is impossible to think and speak in terms of "covenant children" and "non-covenant children" and not wind up with two different "gospels," one for the "covenant child" that includes "God loves you" for sure, and one for the "pagan child" that cannot include "God loves you" until we are first sure that they are one of the elect.&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I think it can be proven historically that one of the major problems created by using Acts 2:39 as a proof text for infant baptism is that it confuses the message of the gospel of grace to all men.&nbsp; The "Seed" in Acts 2 is neither natural Jews nor children of believing parents.&nbsp; The Seed in this whole chapter is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is the true Seed to whom the promises were made, and the message of this chapter, and especially verse 39, is that the promise to the seed has been fulfilled — the Messiah Redeemer has come — believe in Him and be saved whoever you are.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The gospel of grace is to be preached to "whosoever believeth," not just one nationality or group and their physical children.&nbsp; There is no such thing as a "covenant community" inclusive of all "physical" children now that the prophecy of Joel has been fulfilled.&nbsp; No one group any longer has any special claim or privilege because of birth.&nbsp; There is only ONE status before God — GUILTY, regardless of who your parents are, and there is only ONE gospel message to every guilty sinner — REPENT and BELIEVE.&nbsp; This is the one message we must preach to the children of believers as well as the children of unbelievers.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This is what Peter is declaring in Acts 2:39! Do not destroy the universal offer of the gospel by twisting these words into a "promise to Christian parents."<o:p></o:p></span><br /> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/Ss_YJMPF2xI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/Ss_YJMPF2xI/finding-middle-part-4-whats-wrong-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/finding-middle-part-4-whats-wrong-with.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-2275253452531630472Tue, 08 Oct 2013 19:11:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.088-07:00Finding the Middle: Part 3 What's wrong with Administration Theology?<div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Abraham's Four Seeds<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">by John G. Reisinger<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">(New Covenant Theology)</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Appendix Number Three<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />Covenant Theology's "Two Administrations<br />Of One Covenant."</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Some time ago I discussed the basic theme of this book with a group of Reformed ministers that was about equally divided on the subject of Covenant Theology, Dispensationalism, and the view that I hold.&nbsp; Several of those who held strongly to Covenant Theology insisted on using the term "covenant of grace" as if it had the authority of a verse of Scripture.&nbsp; They made no attempt to prove their assertions from Scripture texts.&nbsp; They kept speaking in terms of logic and theology.&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I finally said:&nbsp; "We agree that the Bible is structured around two covenants. However, the two covenants that you keep talking about, namely, a covenant of works with Adam in the garden of Eden and a covenant of grace made with Adam immediately after the fall, have no textual basis in the Word of God.&nbsp; They are both "theological" covenants and not Biblical covenants. They are the children of your theological system.&nbsp; Their mother is Covenant Theology and their father is logic applied to that system.&nbsp; Neither of your two covenants had their origin in Scripture texts and Biblical exegesis.&nbsp; Both of them were invented by theology as the "necessary consequences" of your theological system."<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The one brother asked: "Where are the Bible texts that establish the two covenants that you feel are the two major covenants in the Scripture?"<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We looked up Hebrews 8:6-13 where the Holy Spirit clearly states a "new" covenant replaces an "old" covenant. I pointed out that these verses speak about two distinct and different covenants, and the "old," or first one, has nothing to with Adam in the Garden of Eden. The "Old Covenant" is specifically identified as the law covenant made at Sinai with Israel. The "new" covenant that takes the place of the "old" covenant is the covenant that Jesus ratified on the cross with His atoning blood and which we remember at the Lord's Table. It is impossible to push the New Covenant back to Adam when he fell.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I then said: "This passage in Hebrews clearly speaks about the two major covenants in Scripture.&nbsp; It just as clearly identifies one of these covenants as the law covenant that God made with Israel at Sinai "when he took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt;" and yet your system will not even admit that Sinai is a legal covenant, let alone admit that it is the "first or old" covenant that is replaced by the "new covenant." The Scripture always identifies the legal covenant made at Sinai as the "old" covenant and also always contrasts it with the "new" covenant established by Christ. This whole section in Hebrews is built entirely on the comparison of a new covenant that is "better" than an "old" covenant that it replaces."<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The brother immediately said: "But there is only one covenant with two administrations.&nbsp; Sinai cannot be a separate legal covenant.&nbsp; There can be no legal covenants made with the church, and Israel is the redeemed church.&nbsp; The foundation of the system of Covenant Theology is the fact that there is only one covenant with two different administrations. There simply is no possibility that Sinai was a legal covenant."<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I replied: "You just said it all. The basic foundation blocks of your theology cannot be established with specific texts of Scripture. The non-Biblical terminology that you keep using grows out of your system of theology instead of texts of Scripture. Why will you not discuss the actual words that the Holy Spirit used in Heb 8:6-13?&nbsp; Why do you insist on using theological terms that are not found in the Word of God and keep refusing to discuss the actual terms that are consistently used by the Holy Spirit in the Word of God?"<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />Page 79<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "It is impossible for you to read into these texts of Scripture in Hebrews the terms that you keep using, and it is just as impossible to get out of the verses the theological concepts that you hold concerning one covenant with two administrations. In fact these particular verses clearly contradict your view by specifically comparing two different covenants to each other.&nbsp; Let us look at the actual texts of Scripture themselves and see if the Word of God will allow for the "one covenant/two administrations" view that you admit is the foundation of your whole system of theology.&nbsp; Let me read a few verses from the Book of Hebrews and substitute the word "administration" for the word "covenant," since that is what you say the word really means, and see how it fits."<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I then read the following verses and substituted or added the appropriate words: But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also is the Mediator of a better administration of the one covenant of grace . . . For if that first administration of the one covenant of grace had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second administration of the same covenant of grace . . . I will make a new administration of the same covenant with the house of Israel . . . not according to the administration that I made with their fathers . . . Jesus has become the Surety of a better administration of the same covenant . . . Heb 7:22; 8:6-10 (adjusted to fit Covenant Theology).<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I pleaded with the man to attempt to read either the terms "one covenant with two administrations," or the theological meaning of those terms, into the whole eighth chapter of Hebrews.&nbsp; Of course, he could not and would not even try.&nbsp; Why will men who sincerely hold to "verbal" inspiration insist on using terms that are not only not found in Scripture, but also cannot be made to fit into Scripture? In the case of Covenant Theology, their terms often force the Scripture to say the exact opposite of what it clearly does say!&nbsp; Do they really believe that the Holy Spirit would deliberately say "covenant" when He did not mean covenant?&nbsp; Would He move men to write about a contrast between two different covenants, a "new" and an "old," when there was really only one covenant?<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />We then turned to Gal. 4:24,25 where the Holy Spirit specifically speaks about "the two covenants:"<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />. . . which things are symbolic.&nbsp; For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar - for this Hagar is Mount Sinai . . . Gal. 4:24,25.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; These texts not only fail to mention either of the two covenants that these men were insisting was the foundation of all Scripture, but these texts do clearly identify one of the two major covenants in Scripture as the law covenant given at Sinai to the Nation of Israel.&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The men refused to discuss the texts and kept repeating: "But Sinai cannot be a legal covenant.&nbsp; There is only one covenant with two administrations."<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And I kept repeating: "What do these texts of Scripture mean?&nbsp; Please, please, tell me what the words in these texts mean."<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The whole argument in Galatians 3 through 5 and Hebrews 8-10 clearly proves that there are two distinctly different covenants around which the major part of Scripture is built, namely, the "old" covenant made at Sinai with the Nation of Israel which was based on works and obedience, and the "new" covenant established at the cross based on grace and faith. These brethren would not deny clear Bible texts so they said nothing.&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I then said: "Now that I have given you two Biblical passages to clearly prove my view, you give me one text of Scripture that proves your `covenant of grace' with its `two administrations' that you keep talking about."<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There was dead silence for several minutes.&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Finally one man said: "Well, we do not exactly have a specific text of Scripture."<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We moved on to the next point!&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />Page 80<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; By the way, Professor John Murray in his later writings disagreed with many modern Covenant Theologians concerning a supposed "covenant of works" with Adam.&nbsp; He even chides them for using the phrase "covenant of works" in connection with Adam and also for attempting to connect the Mosaic covenant with Adam in any way.&nbsp; Murray also admits that one of the favorite texts used by covenant theologians as their key proof text to prove a covenant of works with Adam does not prove that at all.&nbsp; I have yet to read a modern covenant theologian, besides Murray, that admitted this! Earlier writers did not use Hosea 6:7 the way modern writers do.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This administration [Adamic] has often been denoted the Covenant of Works . . . It is not designated a covenant in Scripture.&nbsp; Hosea 6:7 may be interpreted otherwise and does not provide the basis for such a construction of the Adamic economy . . . It should never be confused with what the Scripture calls<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><b>the old covenant or first covenant (cf. Jer.&nbsp; 31:31-34; 2 Cor. 3:14; Heb.8:7,13).&nbsp; The first or old covenant is the Sinaitic.</b><span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>And not only must this confusion in denotation be avoided, but also any attempt to interpret the Mosaic covenant in terms of the Adamic institution.&nbsp; The latter could only apply to the state of innocency, and to Adam alone as a representative head.&nbsp; The view that in the Mosaic covenant there is a repetition of the so-called covenant of works, current among covenant theologians, is a grave misconception and involves an erroneous conception of the Mosaic covenant . . . From: Collected Writings of John Murray, Vol. 4, pg 49,50, Banner of Truth.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It amuses me to hear modern writers quote John Murray as the final authority on Covenant Theology and in the same breath deny that the law covenant at Sinai was the "first" or "old covenant."&nbsp; Most of Murray's devotees vehemently defend what Murray himself calls an "erroneous conception of the Mosaic covenant."&nbsp; When I quoted the above statement of John Murray to the pastors mentioned earlier, they said nothing.&nbsp; There is absolutely no doubt that John Murray believed that the "first or old covenant is the Sinaitic."<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I recently read a pamphlet by a Reformed Baptist pastor insisting that the so-called Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace are the foundation stones for understanding Scripture. The author never mentioned the two covenants in Galatians four or Hebrews eight; and worse yet, neither of the two covenants that he was talking about are ever mentioned one time in Scripture.&nbsp; Here is the way the booklet begins:<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Genesis 3:19 "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ". . . In Genesis chapter three we observe two covenants in action.&nbsp; Two very different covenants are in force at the same time . . ." 31<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The very first page "assumes" as a fact what cannot be established with texts of Scripture. Nowhere in the booklet does the writer attempt any textual exegesis for either of the two covenants that he "observes" to be at work in Genesis.&nbsp; Can you find "two covenants in action" in the texts which the author quoted?&nbsp; This is the typical method used by Covenant Theologians.&nbsp; They just assume there are two covenants in Genesis without any textual evidence.&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><u>This is exactly what the Dispensationalist does with his charts.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /></u><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Why do men insist on ignoring the two major covenants that the Holy Spirit continually speaks about, and then proceed to build a whole system of theology on two covenants never once mentioned by any writer of Scripture?&nbsp; And remember, in order to do this, they have to read verses like those from Hebrews eight and refuse to let the word "covenant" mean "covenant."&nbsp; These men must say, "I know the Bible says new covenant, but it really means new administration of the same covenant." Covenant theology insists on putting the word "covenant" in Genesis where the Holy Ghost has not put it, and then they refuse to let the word covenant really mean "covenant" when the Holy Spirit does use that specific word in passages like Hebrews 8.&nbsp; Amazing!<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 31 The Two Covenants, Covenant of Works and Covenant of Grace, by Walter Chantry, Published by Grace Baptist Church, Carlisle, PA.&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />Page 81<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I left Dispensationalism simply because I could not find its basic presuppositions in the Word of God.&nbsp; Writers would make statements that were not actually in the texts of Scripture, but these things "had to be true" simply because the system demanded it.&nbsp; Later, when I began to honestly study the Westminster Confession of Faith and look up every proof text, I was just as horrified as when I honestly investigated Dispensationalism.&nbsp; As a Baptist, I expected to find the texts on infant baptism to be totally irrelevant, but I did not expect the same thing to be true of the proof texts used to prove the whole covenant concept as well as the Confession's view of the law.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Covenant theologians are forced into inventing the terms "covenant of works" and "covenant of grace" simply because they fail to see the uniqueness of God's dealings with Israel as a special nation put "under law" as no other nation ever was before or ever will be again.&nbsp; According to this system of theology, Israel (the "Church" in the Old Testament) simply must be under the same covenant that we (the same "Church" in the New Testament) are under.&nbsp; You cannot put believers (and Israel is "the redeemed people of God") under a legal covenant.&nbsp; The system just will not allow for that. Most covenant theologians, in order to be consistent with their system, must deny the clear Biblical fact that the covenant Israel was put under at Sinai was really a conditional and legal covenant of works.&nbsp; Their system demands that Sinai be a covenant of grace since there can be "no law covenants made after Gen.3:15."<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />We wholeheartedly agree that God had a gracious purpose in putting the Nation of Israel under the law as a covenant, but that fact cannot change the law covenant into a covenant of grace.&nbsp; The law, as a covenant, was intended to be the "needle that pierced the conscience so that the thread of the gospel could follow and heal."&nbsp; However, to be able to accomplish that ministry of death, the law had to have the teeth of a true legal covenant with the power of life and death. If the Decalogue could not make men feel lost in sin and condemned by God, then how could it "prepare the sinner for the gospel?" And how could it accomplish such a ministry without having the authority of a covenant of life and death.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Covenant Theology consistently confuses God's eternal purpose in electing grace with the specific and different covenants that God made, in time and history, with specific people or nations. They are forced to bleed the word "covenant" of its Biblical meaning and make it impossible to give the word a uniform definition. They will sometimes let it mean "covenant" and other times insist it cannot mean covenant but means "administration." They then force the word "covenant" into places where it does not belong.&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />Covenant Theology literally builds its whole system on two deliberate mistakes. It puts two covenants into Genesis 2 &amp; 3 even though those chapter never mention either of the two covenants. The two unproven covenants then become the foundation of the whole system of covenant theology! If there is no "covenant of works with Adam" in the garden whereby Adam could have "earned eternal life by his obedience" then there is no covenant theology. If God did not make a formal "covenant of grace" with Adam immediately after the fall, then the system of theology set forth in the Westminster Confession of Faith is without any Biblical foundation. These are not wild statements. Any honest and knowledgeable covenant theologian will readily admit to what I have just said. He knows that his whole theological system hangs on the "two major covenants" which he calls "the covenant of works with Adam before he fell" and "the covenant of grace made with Adam after he fell." (See the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 7, Sections 2,3.)<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Covenant Theologian also knows (but is slow to admit) that both of his major covenants are Biblico-theological covenants and are not derived from specific texts of Scripture. Both of these non-textual covenants are the "good and necessary consequences deduced" from the very system that they are supposed to support! The covenant of works and the covenant of grace are the foundation blocks of the very system that is used as the basis for deducing, as "good and necessary consequences," the very same two covenants used as the foundation that it is trying to establish. This is circular reasoning at its worst.&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />Page 82<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The word "covenant" cannot mean covenant in Hebrews 8 even though the Holy Spirit says "covenant." There must be two covenants in Genesis chapter 2 and 3 even though the Holy Spirit does not mention either one of them, and there can only be one real covenant in Hebrews 8 even though the Holy Spirit says there are two. Such "interpretation" is essential when you start a system of theology with basic presuppositions that have themselves been "deduced" by logic as the "necessary consequences" of the very system you are trying to prove.&nbsp; However, such interpretation is both non-Biblical and illogical. You cannot use the so-called Biblical-theological method to "deduce" two non-textual covenants from a system of theology that is built four square on accepting as facts the two covenants that you are trying to prove.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Once you read the two non-Biblical covenants into Genesis 2 &amp; 3, you are then forced to deny that the Biblical "Old" and "New" covenants spoken of in Heb. 8, II Cor. 3, and Gal. 3 &amp; 4 are actually two distinctly different covenants. Of theological necessity, these two covenants simply must be two different administrations of the same covenant. Covenant Theology must then commit its second deliberate error. After forcing two non-Biblical covenants into Genesis 2 &amp; 3, it must now delete from Scripture the true Biblical covenant of works (the "Old covenant") made at Sinai and turn it into a covenant of "grace," and they must also delete the Biblical covenant of grace (the "New covenant") established in the blood of Christ and turn it into a "new administration" of the same legal covenant that was given to Israel at Sinai. From this point on, the covenant theologian will use the non-Biblical phrase "covenant of grace" as if he were quoting a text of Scripture.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When a covenant theologian uses the term "covenant of grace," (Hodge quote) what he really means is the "gospel of grace," or God's one and only method of saving men.&nbsp; This is why he calls the promise of "the seed" in Genesis 3:15 and 12:3 the "covenant of grace." He means that God has always saved men by one method, and that method is by grace through faith.&nbsp; On this point we are in total agreement.&nbsp; We do not question for a moment the truth that men have always been saved by grace alone.&nbsp; The Bible calls that "the gospel."&nbsp; Why do Covenant Theologians insist on calling it "the Covenant of Grace"?&nbsp; Why distort Acts 2:39, and its clear declaration of the one gospel message to all men, into a supposed "covenant of grace" with Christian parents.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The answer to these questions is easy.&nbsp; The Biblical word "gospel" will not do for the covenant theologian what the non-Biblical phrase "covenant of grace" will do for him.&nbsp; If he says, "God preached the gospel of grace to Abraham and promised to save him by faith and also promised to save all of his children who would also believe the gospel," he is speaking Biblically and we will agree with him.&nbsp; However, such Biblical terminology gives him no grounds to baptize a "covenant child."&nbsp; Even Hodge could not find "justification" for infant baptism without inventing a non-biblical terminology.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When the covenant theologian is speaking about the "gospel of grace," he is using Biblical terminology, but when he speaks of "the covenant of grace," he is speaking in purely theological terms with no textual proof.&nbsp; Why not stick with Biblical terminology and avoid a lot of confusion?&nbsp; Why add to the Word of God things that are not there?&nbsp; Why make Paul's statement that "God preached the gospel to Abraham" mean "God put Abraham under the covenant of grace"?&nbsp; Nothing is gained by ignoring Biblical words and substituting theological terms. However, a lot of confusion and error would be avoided if everyone used the same terms that the Holy Spirit put into the Scripture. Why distort the Scriptures that clearly state that "God preached the gospel to Abraham," and try to make it say that God put "Abraham under a covenant of grace"?<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A Covenant theologian seeks to establish his basic presuppositions without using specific texts of Scripture simply because he has no clear texts to use.&nbsp; He must load a word or phrase with the preconceived concepts of his system and then use the loaded word or phrase as if he were quoting an actual text of Scripture. Check how often the Westminster Confession of Faith will use the phrase "commonly called" to establish a point instead of quoting a Bible verse.&nbsp; They do not use a verse of Scripture simply because they have no verse to use. The "truth" they are seeking to establish did not grow out of texts of Scripture but out of their theological system. By the phrase "commonly called," they really, "We do not have a text of Scripture, but theologians use this word or phrase all the time."&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />Page 83<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Several other statements found with annoying repetition in the writings of covenant theologians are, "The Standards of our Church declare . . .," or, "The Framers of our Larger Catechism correctly state . . ." I am amazed at how often writers will assume that they have actually proven their point simply because they have quoted the Confession or Catechism! If what they are trying to prove is really Scriptural, then why not use Scripture texts to prove it?&nbsp; Why not say, "As the Holy Spirit said . . .", and then quote the Word of God? 32<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The fact that God preached "the gospel to Abraham" does not mean that he was "under a covenant of grace" any more than the fact that the whole city of Nineveh heard the gospel would mean that God put them "under a covenant of grace." The clear truth that God has always saved men "by grace through faith," and it is a clear truth, in no way proves that Israel as a nation was under a "covenant of grace."&nbsp; Hebrews 3:15 - 4:2 proves beyond question that the Nation of Israel alone was under the great privilege of having the gospel promises. However, most of them died in unbelief and went to hell.&nbsp; It is one thing to be under the preaching of the gospel of grace, but it is quite another to be under the grace promised in the gospel.&nbsp; No one "under grace" ever perished!&nbsp; To be "under a covenant of grace" and "to be secure forever in Christ" are one and the same thing in the Scriptures. The Word of God knows nothing of people perishing in hell who were "under the covenant of grace." 33<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Israel was under unique privileges that no other nation had.&nbsp; They had the gospel preached to them as no other nation. The legal covenant at Sinai was given to Israel alone:<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made NOT this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire... Dt 5:2,3<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />The second giving of the Ten Commandments (Old Covenant) then follows (Dt. 5:4-20). The NT Scriptures are crystal clear that the primary function of that legal covenant was to act as a "schoolmaster" to convict Israel of their sin unto justification (Gal. 3:24,25; Rom. 5:20; 7:1-11).&nbsp; The covenant of law was the handmaid of the gospel of grace to the Nation of Israel, and as such, was one of the greatest blessings that God gave to them.&nbsp; However, there is a great difference between "a gracious purpose" and "a covenant of grace."&nbsp; There is no grace in the Law Covenant made at Sinai when it says, "do or die," but it was very gracious of God to give it.&nbsp; The law covenant served the purpose of grace by killing any hope of salvation by works.&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The NT Scriptures are very clear that this was the very purpose God had in mind when He put Israel "under law" (Rom. 5:20; Gal. 3:24). The confusion caused by trying to turn the legal covenant at Sinai into a "covenant of grace" becomes glaringly evident when you try to understand what Paul meant by insisting that the primary God-ordained function of the law was death by conviction of sin (II Cor. 3). The contradictions among Covenant Theologians interpreting Paul's view of law are astounding. Just read their many and conflicting views on what Paul meant in Rom. 6:14 when he said "You are not under the law, but under grace."<o:p></o:p></span><br /> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/l85a21KyIFA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/l85a21KyIFA/finding-middle-part-3-whats-wrong-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/finding-middle-part-3-whats-wrong-with.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-7768996216455998349Tue, 08 Oct 2013 19:02:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.117-07:00Finding the Middle: Part 2 What's wrong with Dispensational Theology?<div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Abraham's Four Seeds<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">by John G. Reisinger<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">(New Covenant Theology)</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Appendix Number Two<br />Dispensationalism</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The following material is condensed from the book: "Lewis Sperry Chafer, Major Bible Themes, Revised by John F. Walvoord, Academie Books." I use this source because Lewis Sperry Chafer is recognized as one of the most influential early leaders of Dispensationalism in this country. He was the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary. Dr. John F. Walvoord, recently retired president of the same seminary, is probably the best representative of Dispensationalism as it is understood today. Since Dispensationalism does not have a universally accepted creed, this particular book would represent the most widely accepted authority of the past (Chafer) and the present (Walvoord). All the emphasis is mine unless otherwise stated.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />Walvoord emphasizes the importance of Dispensationalism:<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the study of Scripture, it is most important to understand that (1) scriptural revelation falls into well defined periods. (2) These are clearly separated, and the recognition of these divisions and their divine purposes constitute one of the most important factors in true interpretation of the Scriptures. (3) These divisions are termed "dispensations," and in successive periods of time different dispensations may be observed . . . . It is probable that the recognition of the dispensations sheds more light on the whole message of the Bible than any other aspect of Biblical study . . . P. 126<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />Chafer and Walvoord define the word dispensation as follows:<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A dispensation can be defined as a stage in the progressive revelation of God constituting a distinctive stewardship or rule of life. Although the concept of a dispensation and an age in the Bible is not precisely the same, it is obvious that each age had its dispensation . . .<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />Scofield defines the word "dispensation" this way:<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />A dispensation is a period of time during which man is tested in respect of obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />The different dispensations are essential if all men are to be proven truly guilty before God. The various testing periods are necessary in order to "stop every mouth."<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />. . . Man's relationship to God is not the same in every age. It has been necessary to bring fallen man into divine testing. This, in part, is God's purpose in the ages, and the result of the testings is in every case an unquestionable demonstration of the utter failure and sinfulness of man. In the end, every mouth will be stopped because every assumption of the human heart will be revealed as foolish and wicked by centuries of experience.29<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Each dispensation, therefore, begins with man being divinely placed in a new position of privilege and responsibility, and each closes with the failure of man resulting in righteous judgments from God. While there are certain abiding facts such as the holy character of God which are of necessity the same in every age, there are varying instructions and responsibilities which are, as to their application, limited to a given period . . . . In the dispensations God has demonstrated every possible means of dealing with man. In every dispensation man fails and only God's grace is sufficient. In the dispensations is fulfilled God's purpose to manifest His glory, both in the natural world and human history. Throughout eternity no one can raise a question as to whether God could have given man another chance to attain salvation or holiness on his own ability.30 A knowledge of the dispensations is accordingly, the key to understanding God's purpose in history and the unfolding of the Scripture which records God's dealing with man and His divine revelation concerning Himself. Page 126,136.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />29 Paul shows that all men, without exception, to be guilty before God (Rom 1:18-3:19) without any references to or need of dispensations.<br /><br />30 Could not someone in the second or third dispensation plead that he did not have as much of an opportunity as someone with the added revelation of the fifth or sixth dispensation? Was not the argument of the rich man in Luke 16:27-31 based on this very premise?<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />Page 76<br />Here are the basic principles of Dispensationalism:<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In studying the seven dispensations, certain principles are essential to understanding this teaching. Dispensationalism is derived from natural, or literal, interpretation of the Bible. It is impossible to interpret the Bible in its normal, literal sense without realizing that there are different ages and different dispensations. A second principle is that of progressive revelation, that is, the fact recognized by nearly all students of Scripture, that revelation is given by stages. Third, all expositors of the Bible will need to recognize that later revelation to some extent supersedes earlier revelation with a resulting change in rules of life in which earlier requirements may be changed or withdrawn and new requirements added. For instance, while God commanded Moses to kill a man for gathering sticks on Saturday (Num. 15:32-36), no one would apply this command today because we live in a different dispensation. Page 128.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><u>Most, not all,<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></u>dispensationalists hold to seven dispensations. Here is Chafer and Walvoord's outline:<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />1. Dispensation of innocence: Age of Liberty. Begins at Gen 1:26,27 and ends at Gen 3:6.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />2. Dispensation of conscience: Age of Human Determination. Begins at Gen 3:7 and ends at Gen 8:19.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />3. Dispensation of human government: Covenant With Noah. Begins at Gen 8:20 and ends at Gen 11:9.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />4. Dispensation of promise: Covenant With Abraham. Begins at Gen 11:10 and ends at Ex 19:3.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />5. Dispensation of law: [The Nation of Israel] Begins at Ex 19:4 and ends at Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In one sense the dispensation of the law ended at the cross (Rom. 10:4, 2 Cor. 3:11-14; Gal. 3:19,25). But in another sense it was not concluded until the day of Pentecost, when the dispensation of Grace began. Although the law ended as a specific rule of life, it continues to be a revelation of the righteousness of God and can be studied with profit by Christians in determining the holy character of God. The moral principles underlying the law continue, since God does not change; but believers today are not obliged today to keep the details of the law, as the dispensation has changed and the rule of life given Israel is not the rule of life for the church. Although many applications of the law may be made, a strict interpretation relates the Mosaic law to Israel only. P.134<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />6. Dispensation of grace: [The Church] Begins at Acts 2 and ends at the Rapture of the Church. The dispensation of grace was directed to the church alone . . . Under grace, however, failure also was evident as grace produced neither worldwide acceptance of Christ nor a triumphant church . . . The dispensation of grace ends with the rapture of the church, which will be followed by the judgment of the professing church (Rev. 17:16).<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The age of grace is a different dispensation in that it concerns the church comprising Jewish and Gentile believers. By contrast, the law of Israel was for Israel only, human government was for the entire world, and conscience extends to all people. In the present dispensation, the mosaic law is completely canceled as to its immediate application, but continues to testify to the holiness of God and provides many spiritual lessons by application. Although all dispensations contain a gracious element, the dispensation of grace is the supreme manifestation both in the fullness of salvation received and in the rule of life. Page 135<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />Page 77<br />7. Dispensation of the kingdom: [The Millennium] Begins at the Second Coming and ends with the destruction of the earth and heaven by fire and is followed by the eternal state (Rev. 21 -22).<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The dispensation of the kingdom begins with the second coming (Matt. 24; Rev. 19) and is preceded by a period of time including the Tribulation, which to some extent is a transitional period . . .<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the millennial kingdom, divine grace is also revealed in fulfillment of the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34), in salvation (Isa. 12), in physical and temporal prosperity (Isa 35), in abundance of revelation (Jer. 31:33,34), forgiveness of sin (Jer. 31:34), and in the regathering of Israel (Isa. 11:11,12; Jer. 30:1-11; Ezek. 39:25-29) . . .<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The dispensation of the kingdom differs from all preceding dispensations in that it is the final form of moral testing. The advantages of the dispensation include a perfect government, the immediate presence of Christ, universal knowledge of God and the terms of salvation, and Satan rendered inactive. In many respects the dispensation of the kingdom is climatic and brings to consummation God's dealing with man." Page 136<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />Page 78<o:p></o:p></span><br /> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/QyICVXUyJ4g" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/QyICVXUyJ4g/finding-middle-part-2-whats-wrong-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/finding-middle-part-2-whats-wrong-with.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-8569157777848556183Tue, 08 Oct 2013 18:56:00 +00002014-06-25T15:36:32.126-07:00Finding the Middle: Part 1 What's wrong with Covenant Theology?<div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 18pt;">Abraham's Four Seeds<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">by John G. Reisinger<br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">(New Covenant Theology)</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Appendix Number One<br />Covenant Theology</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; All of the following quotations are taken from the Westminster Confession of Faith. This is the most widely accepted and revered document to come out of the Reformation. This source represents both the historical and the present view of consistent Covenant Theology. Recently there have been great differences of opinion on what the Confession actually means and how it is to be worked out, but to my knowledge no Presbyterian group has challenged the Confession itself in the area of covenants, the law or the church.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />Basic presupposition: Covenants are the "key" to understanding and unifying all of Scripture.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><b>1. Man is always in covenant relationship with God.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></b><br />"The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto him as their Creator, yet they could never have any fruition of him as their blessedness and reward, but by some voluntary condescension on God's part, which he hath been pleased to express by way of covenant." 1 Chapter 7, Section 1<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />1 Isa. 40:13-17; Job 9:32,33; I Sam. 2:25; Ps. 113:5,6; Ps. 100:2,3; Job 22:2,3; 35:7,8; Luke 17:10; Acts 17:24,25.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><b>2. The whole of Scripture is covered by two covenants.</b><span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><b>(A)</b>The first is the Covenant of Works made with Adam in the garden prior to his fall.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><b>&nbsp; (B)</b><span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>The second is the Covenant of Grace made with Adam immediately after his fall.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><b>(A)</b><span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><b>The Covenant of Works:<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></b>The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works, 1 wherein life was promised to Adam, and in him to his posterity, 2 upon condition of perfect and personal obedience." 3 Chapter 7, Section 2<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />1 Gal. 3:12. 2 Rom. 10:5; 5:12-20. 3 Gen. 2:17; Gal 3:10.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><b>(B).</b><span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>The Covenant of Grace: "Man by his fall having made himself incapable of life by that covenant [covenant of works], the Lord was pleased to make a second, 1 commonly called the covenant of grace: whereby he freely offereth unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in him, that they may be saved; 2 and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto life his Holy Spirit. to make them willing and able to believe. 3 Chapter 7, Section 3.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />1 Gal. 3:21; Rom. 8:3; 3:20,21; Gen. 3:15; Isa 42:6. 2 Mark 16:15,16; John 3:16; Rom 10:6,9; Gal:3:11. 3 Ezek. 36:26,27; John 6:44,45.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law, and in the time of the gospel:4 Chapter 7, Section 5.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />4 Heb. 1:1; I Cor. 3:6-9.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br />Page 74<br />3. The promised blessing in the covenant of works was life, and Adam was given the ability to "earn" this promised blessing of life by his obedience to the terms of covenant.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><b>(A)</b><span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>". . . life was promised to Adam . . . upon condition of perfect and personal obedience." Chapter 7, Section 3.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><b>(B)</b><span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>"God gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of works, by which he bound him and his posterity, to personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience; promised life upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the breach of it; and endued him with power and ability to keep it." 1 Chapter 19, Section 1.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />1 Gen 1:26,27; 2:17; Rom 2:14,15; 10:5; 5:12-19; Gal 3:10,12; Eccles. 7:29; Job 28:28.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />4. The content of the covenant of works that Adam was to obey in order to earn "life" was the ten commandments, "commonly called [by NO writer of Scripture] the moral law."<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><b>A.</b><span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>This law [given to Adam as a covenant of works], after his fall, continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness; and, as such, was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai in ten commandments, and written in two tables . . .1 Chapter 19, Section 2.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />1 James 1:25; 2:8,10-12; Rom 13:8,9; Deut 5:32; 10:4; Ex 34:1.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />5. The proviso of the covenant was "perfect, entire, exact, and personal obedience" for a probationary period." Both Chapter 7, Section 2, and Chapter 19, Section 1 speak of Adam being put "under the covenant of works" and his being promised to be rewarded with life "upon fulfilling" the covenant's conditions.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />6. Adam, by his sin (his failure to obey the covenant of works and earn life), forever lost the opportunity to earn life by works.<br /><br /><b>A.</b><span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>Man by his fall having made himself incapable [of earning] life by that covenant [by meeting its terms and earning the blessing of life it promised], the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly called the covenant of grace . . . Chapter 7, Section 3.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />Question: Do the Scriptures ever represent the tragedy of Adam's fall as "losing an opportunity to earn life," or does they represent the fall as Adam losing the life and righteousness that he already had by virtue of the fact that he, Adam, was created righteous in the image of God. No where are we told Adam failed to get something that he did not have. It always speaks of his losing something that he already had. (Compare the Heidelburg Confession where the whole idea of a "covenant of works" is conspicuous by its absence.)<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />The so-called "Covenant of Grace" is in reality the message of the gospel of grace. This "covenant," or actually the gospel of grace, enables sinners today to secure, by faith, what Adam would have earned if he had kept the covenant of works. Nowhere do the Scriptures suggest such an idea or comparison.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><b>Since there is only one unchanging Covenant of Grace (The basic assumption of Covenant Theology), some very logical deductions follow:<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /></b><br /><b>1.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></b>There can only be one Church, therefore the Nation of Israel has to be one with the Church today.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><b>2.</b><span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>The visible signs, seals and forms of worship change under the "new administration," but the one and same covenant is unchanged and still in force.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><b>3.</b><span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>Since the "moral law" (Tablets of Stone) expresses the nature of God, those tables are the one unchanging canon of conduct that governs the one people of God in all ages. Christ (in the Sermon on the Mount) and the Apostles (in the Epistles) reaffirm the authority of the "moral law" (Tablets of Stone) and show us true meaning of the unchanging written on those covenantal tablets. Neither Christ nor His Apostles add any "higher laws" to the "one unchanging moral law written on the Tables of Stone." The Ten Commandments must be the highest standard of morality that was ever given.<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><b>4.</b><span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>Since Israel is the Church and is under the same covenant as the Church is under today, then children of believing parents must still be considered a part of the Church and should be "signed and sealed" in Baptism as covenant children. Under the "new administration" of the one and same covenant only the covenant sign changes, and baptism replaces circumcision. The Sabbath has to be part of the "one unchanging moral law," but the day is changed from the seventh to the first, etc. All that changes is the "administration" of the one and same covenant. The visible signs and seals change but not the covenant. There can only be "one covenant with two administration." If this concept can be shown to clearly contradict the New Covenant Scriptures, then the whole system upon which the concept is built is destroyed. That is Covenant Theology!<span class="apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><br />Page 75<o:p></o:p></span><br /><div align="center" style="background: white; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="feedflare">
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</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/hisonetruth/~4/rWUQMiezB0I" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hisonetruth/~3/rWUQMiezB0I/finding-middle-part-1-whats-wrong-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (T. James Archibald)0http://hisonetruth.blogspot.com/2013/10/finding-middle-part-1-whats-wrong-with.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-835615023528078744.post-2058411592819532577Tue, 08 Oct 2013 18:16:00 +00002018-03-03T17:30:59.698-07:00"I am NOT writing a new commandment to you...On the other hand, I AM writing a new commandment to you" 1 John 2:7-8 (cf John 13:34)<h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span></h1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w4QZ_SleYs0/UlRGPt1ZQhI/AAAAAAAAAOo/jY_AFVombxc/s1600/chrysostom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w4QZ_SleYs0/UlRGPt1ZQhI/AAAAAAAAAOo/jY_AFVombxc/s1600/chrysostom.jpg" /></span></a></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span></h1><h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">John Chrysostom (c. 347–407, Greek: Ἰωάννης ὁ Χρυσόστομος), </span><span style="font-size: small;">Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic sensibilities.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></span></h1><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><br /><div><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">St. John, named Chrysostom (golden-mouthed) on account of his eloquence, came into the world of Christian parents, about the year 344, in the city of Antioch. His mother, at the age of 20, was a model of virtue. He studied rhetoric under Libanius, a pagan, the most famous orator of the age. In 374, he began to lead the life of an anchorite in the mountains near Antioch, but in 386 the poor state of his health forced him to return to Antioch, where he was ordained a priest.</span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><div><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;arial&quot; , &quot;helvetica&quot; , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><div>In 398, he was elevated to the See of Constantinople and became one of the greatest lights of the Church. But he had enemies in high places and some were ecclesiastics, not the least being Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, who repented of this before he died. His most powerful enemy, however, was the empress Eudoxia, who was offended by the apostolic freedom of his discourses. Several accusations were brought against him in a pseudo-council, and he was sent into exile.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the midst of his sufferings, like the apostle, St. Paul, whom he so greatly admired, he found the greatest peace and happiness. He had the consolation of knowing that the Pope remained his friend, and did for him what lay in his power. His enemies were not satisfied with the sufferings he had already endured, and they banished him still further, to Pythius, at the very extremity of the Empire. He died on his way there on September 14, 407.</div></span></div><h1 style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; text-align: center;"></h1><h1 style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 19px; text-align: center;"><u><i>Homily 16 on Matthew</i></u></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/mat005.htm#verse17"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Matt. V. 17</span></a>.</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Think not that I have come to destroy the&nbsp;Law&nbsp;or the&nbsp;Prophets.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Why, who suspected this? Or who accused Him, that He should make a defense against this charge? Since surely from what had gone before&nbsp;no such suspicion was generated. For to command&nbsp;men&nbsp;to be meek, and gentle, and merciful, and pure in heart, and to strive for righteousness, indicated no such design, but rather altogether the contrary.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Wherefore then can He have said this? Not at random, nor vainly: but inasmuch as He was proceeding to&nbsp;ordain&nbsp;commandments&nbsp;greater than those of old, saying,&nbsp;It was said to them of old&nbsp;time, You shall not&nbsp;kill;&nbsp;but I say unto you, Be not even&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">angry</span></a>;&nbsp;and to mark out a way for a kind of divine and&nbsp;heavenly&nbsp;conversation;&nbsp;in order that the strangeness thereof might not disturb the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14153a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">souls</span></a>&nbsp;of the hearers, nor dispose them quite to&nbsp;mutiny&nbsp;against what He said He used this means of setting them right beforehand.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For although they fulfilled not the&nbsp;law, yet nevertheless they were possessed with much&nbsp;conscientious&nbsp;regard to it; and while they were annulling it every day by their&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01115a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">deeds</span></a>, the letters thereof they would have remain unmoved, and that no one should add anything more to them. Or rather, they bore with their rulers adding thereto, not however for the better, but for the worse. For so they used to set aside the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07462a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">honor</span></a>&nbsp;due to our&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11478c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">parents</span></a>&nbsp;by additions of their own, and very many others also of the matters enjoined them, they would free themselves of&nbsp;by these unseasonable additions.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Therefore, since&nbsp;Christ&nbsp;in the first place was not of the&nbsp;sacredotal tribe, and next, the things which He was about to introduce were a sort of addition, not however lessening, but&nbsp;enhancing&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15472a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">virtue</span></a>; He&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08673a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">knowing</span></a>&nbsp;beforehand that both these circumstances would trouble them, before He wrote in their&nbsp;mind&nbsp;those wondrous&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09053a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">laws</span></a>, casts out that which was sure to be&nbsp;harboring&nbsp;there. And what was it that was&nbsp;harboring&nbsp;there, and making an obstacle?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">2. They thought that He, thus speaking, did so with a view to the&nbsp;abrogation&nbsp;of the ancient institutions. This suspicion therefore He heals; nor here only does He so, but elsewhere also again. Thus, since they accounted Him no less than an adversary of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">God</span></a>, from this sort of&nbsp;reason, namely, His not keeping the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13287b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sabbath</span></a>; He, to heal such their suspicion, there also again sets forth His pleas, of which some indeed were proper to Himself; as when He says,&nbsp;My Father works, and I work;&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/joh005.htm#verse17"><span style="text-decoration: none;">John&nbsp;5:17</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;but some had in them much condescension, as when He brings forward the sheep lost on the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13287b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sabbath</span></a>&nbsp;day,&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/mat012.htm#verse11"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Matthew&nbsp;12:11</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;and points out that the&nbsp;law&nbsp;is disturbed for its preservation, and makes mention again of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03777a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">circumcision</span></a>, as having this same effect.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/joh007.htm#verse23"><span style="text-decoration: none;">John&nbsp;7:23</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Wherefore we see also that He often speaks words somewhat beneath Him, to remove the semblance of His being an adversary of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">God</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For this&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>&nbsp;He who had&nbsp;raised&nbsp;thousands of the dead with a word only, when He was calling&nbsp;Lazarus, added also a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12345b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prayer</span></a>; and then, lest this should make Him appear less than Him that begot Him, He, to correct this suspicion, added,&nbsp;I said these things, because of the people which stands by, that they may&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02408b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">believe</span></a>&nbsp;that you have sent me.&nbsp;And neither does He work all things as one who&nbsp;acted&nbsp;by His own power, that He might thoroughly correct their weakness; nor does He all things with&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12345b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prayer</span></a>, lest He should leave&nbsp;matter&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>&nbsp;suspicion to them that should follow, as though He were without strength or power: but He mingles the latter with the former, and those again with these. Neither does He this indiscriminately, but with His own proper wisdom. For while He does the greater works authoritatively, in the less He looks up unto&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07170a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Heaven</span></a>. Thus, when&nbsp;absolving&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sins</span></a>, and&nbsp;revealing&nbsp;His secrets, and opening&nbsp;Paradise, and driving away&nbsp;devils, and cleansing&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09182a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">lepers</span></a>, and bridling death, and raising the dead by thousands, He did all by way of command: but when, what was much less than these, He&nbsp;was&nbsp;causing&nbsp;many loaves to spring forth out of few, then He looked up to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07170a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Heaven</span></a>:&nbsp;signifying&nbsp;that not through weakness He does this. For He who could do the greater with authority, how in the lesser could He need&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12345b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prayer</span></a>? But as I was saying, He does this to silence their shamelessness. The same reckoning, then, I bid you make of His words also, when you hear Him speak lowly things. For many in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15073a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">truth</span></a>&nbsp;are the causes&nbsp;both for words and for&nbsp;actions&nbsp;of that cast: as, for instance, that He might not be supposed alien from&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">God</span></a>; His instructing and waiting on all&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09580c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">men</span></a>; His teaching humility; His being encompassed with flesh; the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08399a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Jews'</span></a>&nbsp;inability to hear all at once; His teaching us to utter no high word of ourselves. For this&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>&nbsp;many times, having in His own&nbsp;person&nbsp;said much that is lowly of Himself, the great things He leaves to be said by others. Thus He Himself indeed, reasoning with the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08399a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Jews</span></a>, said,&nbsp;Before&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01051a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Abraham</span></a>&nbsp;was, I Am:&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/joh008.htm#verse58"><span style="text-decoration: none;">John&nbsp;8:58</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;but His&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05029a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">disciple</span></a>&nbsp;not thus, but,&nbsp;In the beginning was the&nbsp;Word, and the&nbsp;Word&nbsp;was with&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">God</span></a>, and the&nbsp;Word&nbsp;was&nbsp;God.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/joh001.htm#verse1"><span style="text-decoration: none;">John&nbsp;1:1</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Again, that He Himself made&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07170a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Heaven</span></a>, and earth, and sea, and all things visible and invisible, in His own&nbsp;person&nbsp;He nowhere expressly said: but His&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05029a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">disciple</span></a>, speaking plainly out, and suppressing nothing,&nbsp;affirms&nbsp;this once, twice, yea often: writing that&nbsp;all things were made by Him;&nbsp;and,&nbsp;without Him was not one thing made;&nbsp;and, He was in the world, and the world was made by Him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And why marvel, if others have said greater things of Him than He of Himself; since (what is more) in many cases, what He showed forth by His&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01115a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">deeds</span></a>, by His words He uttered not openly? Thus that it was Himself who made&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09580c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">mankind</span></a>&nbsp;He showed clearly even by that blind man; but when He was speaking of our formation at the beginning, He said not,&nbsp;I made,&nbsp;but&nbsp;He who made them, made them male and&nbsp;female.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/mat019.htm#verse4"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Matthew&nbsp;19:4</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;Again, that He&nbsp;created&nbsp;the world and all things therein, He demonstrated by the fishes, by the&nbsp;wine, by the loaves, by the calm in the sea, by the sunbeam which He averted on the&nbsp;Cross; and by very many things besides: but in words He has nowhere said this plainly, though His&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05029a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">disciples</span></a>&nbsp;are continually declaring it, both&nbsp;John, and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11567b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Paul</span></a>, and&nbsp;Peter.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For if they who night and day hear Him discourse, and see Him work marvels; to whom He explained many things in private, and gave so great power as even to raise the dead; whom He made so&nbsp;perfect, as to forsake all things for Him: if even they, after so great&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15472a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">virtue</span></a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;self-denial, had not strength to bear it all, before the supply of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07409a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Spirit</span></a>; how could the people of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08399a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Jews</span></a>, being both void of understanding, and far behind such excellency, and only by hazard present when He did or said anything, how could they have been persuaded but that He was alien from the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">God</span></a>&nbsp;of all, unless he had practised such great condescension throughout? <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For on this account we see that even when He was&nbsp;abrogating&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13287b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sabbath</span></a>, He did not as of set purpose bring in such&nbsp;<i>His</i>&nbsp;legislation, but He puts together many and various pleas of defense. Now if, when He was about to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>&nbsp;one&nbsp;commandment&nbsp;to cease, He used so much reserve in His language,&nbsp;that He might not startle the hearers; much more, when adding to the&nbsp;law, entire as it was, another entire code of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09053a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">laws</span></a>, did He require much management and attention, not to alarm those who were then hearing Him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For this same&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>, neither do we find Him teaching everywhere clearly concerning His own&nbsp;Godhead. For if His adding to the&nbsp;law&nbsp;was sure to perplex them so greatly, much more His declaring Himself&nbsp;God.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">3. Wherefore many things are uttered by Him, far below His proper dignity, and here when He is about to proceed upon His addition to the&nbsp;law, He has used abundance for correction beforehand. For neither was it once only that He said,&nbsp;I do not abrogate the&nbsp;law,&nbsp;but He both repeated it again, and added another and a greater thing; in that, to the words,&nbsp;Think not that I have come to destroy,&nbsp;He subjoined,&nbsp;I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now this not only&nbsp;obstructs&nbsp;the obstinacy of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08399a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Jews</span></a>, but stops also the mouths of those&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07256b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">heretics</span></a>,&nbsp;who say that the old covenant is of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04764a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">devil</span></a>. For if&nbsp;Christ&nbsp;came to destroy his tyranny, how is this covenant not only not destroyed, but even fulfilled by Him? For He said not only,&nbsp;I do not destroy it;&nbsp;though this had been enough; but&nbsp;I even fulfill it:&nbsp;which are the words of one so far from opposing himself, as to be even establishing it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And how, one may ask, did He not destroy it? In what way did He rather fulfill either the&nbsp;law&nbsp;or the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12477a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prophets</span></a>? The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12477a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prophets</span></a>&nbsp;He fulfilled, inasmuch as He&nbsp;confirmed&nbsp;by His actions&nbsp;all that had been said concerning Him; wherefore also the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05645a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evangelist</span></a>&nbsp;used to say in each case,&nbsp;That it might be&nbsp;fulfilled which was spoken by the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12477a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prophet</span></a>.&nbsp;Both when He was born,&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/mat001.htm#verse22"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Matthew&nbsp;1:22-23</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;and when the children sung that wondrous&nbsp;hymn&nbsp;to Him, and when He sat on the&nbsp;ass,&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/mat021.htm#verse5"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Matthew&nbsp;21:5-16</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;and in very many more instances He worked this same fulfillment: all which things must have been unfulfilled, if He had not come.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">But the&nbsp;law&nbsp;He fulfilled, not in one way only, but in a second and third also. In one way, by transgressing none of the&nbsp;precepts&nbsp;of the&nbsp;law. For that He did fulfill it all, hear what He says to&nbsp;John,&nbsp;For thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/mat003.htm#verse15"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Matthew&nbsp;3:15</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;And to the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08399a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Jews</span></a>&nbsp;also He said,&nbsp;Which of you convinces me of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sin</span></a>.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/joh008.htm#verse46"><span style="text-decoration: none;">John&nbsp;8:46</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;And to His&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05029a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">disciples</span></a>&nbsp;again,&nbsp;The prince of this world comes, and finds nothing in me.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/joh014.htm#verse30"><span style="text-decoration: none;">John&nbsp;14:30</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;And the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12477a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prophet</span></a>&nbsp;too from the first had said that&nbsp;He did no&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sin</span></a>.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/isa053.htm#verse9"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Isaiah&nbsp;53:9</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">This then was one sense in which He fulfilled it. Another, that He did the same through us also; for this is the marvel, that He not only Himself fulfilled it, but He granted this to us likewise. Which thing&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11567b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Paul</span></a>&nbsp;also declaring said,&nbsp;Christ is the end of the&nbsp;law&nbsp;for righteousness to every one that&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02408b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">believes</span></a>.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/rom010.htm#verse4"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Romans&nbsp;10:4</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;And he said also, that&nbsp;He judged&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sin</span></a>&nbsp;in the flesh, that the righteousness of the&nbsp;law&nbsp;might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/rom008.htm#verse3"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Romans&nbsp;8:3-4</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;And again,&nbsp;Do we then make void the&nbsp;law through&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05752c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">faith</span></a>?&nbsp;God&nbsp;forbid! Yea, we establish the&nbsp;law.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/rom003.htm#verse31"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Romans&nbsp;3:31</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;For since the&nbsp;law&nbsp;was laboring at this, to make man righteous, but had not power, He came and brought in the way of righteousness by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05752c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">faith</span></a>, and so established that which the&nbsp;law&nbsp;desired: and what the&nbsp;law&nbsp;could not by letters, this He accomplished by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05752c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">faith</span></a>. On this account He says,&nbsp;I am not come to destroy the&nbsp;law.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">4. But if any one&nbsp;will&nbsp;inquire accurately, he will find also another, a third sense, in which this has been done. Of what sort is it then? In the sense of that future code of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09053a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">laws</span></a>, which He was about to deliver to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For His sayings were no&nbsp;repeal&nbsp;of the former, but a drawing out, and filling up of them. Thus,&nbsp;not to&nbsp;kill,&nbsp;is not annulled by the saying, Be not&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">angry</span></a>, but rather is filled up and put in greater security: and so of all the others.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Wherefore, you see, as He had before&nbsp;unsuspectedly&nbsp;cast the seeds of this teaching; so at the&nbsp;time&nbsp;when from His comparison of the old and new&nbsp;commandments, He would be more distinctly suspected of placing them in opposition, He used His corrective beforehand. For in a covert way He had indeed already scattered those seeds, by what He had said. Thus,&nbsp;Blessed are the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12327a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">poor</span></a>,&nbsp;is the same as that we are not to be&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">angry</span></a>; and,&nbsp;Blessed are the pure in heart,&nbsp;as not to&nbsp;look upon a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15687b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">woman</span></a>&nbsp;for<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09438a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">lust</span></a>;&nbsp;and the&nbsp;not laying up treasures on earth,&nbsp;harmonizes with,&nbsp;Blessed are the merciful;&nbsp;and&nbsp;to&nbsp;mourn&nbsp;also,&nbsp;to be&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11703a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">persecuted</span></a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;reviled,&nbsp;coincide withentering in at the strait gate;&nbsp;and,&nbsp;to hunger and thirst after righteousness,&nbsp;is nothing else than that which He says afterwards,&nbsp;Whatsoever ye would that&nbsp;menshould do to you, do ye also to them.&nbsp;And having declared&nbsp;the&nbsp;peace-maker&nbsp;blessed,&nbsp;He again almost said the same, when He gave command&nbsp;to leave the&nbsp;gift,&nbsp;and hasten to reconciliation with him that was grieved, and about&nbsp;agreeing with our adversary.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">But there He set down the rewards of them that do right, here rather the punishments of them who neglect practice.&nbsp;Wherefore as in that place He said,&nbsp;The meek shall inherit earth;&nbsp;so here,&nbsp;He who calls his brother fool, shall be in danger of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">hell-fire</span></a>;&nbsp;and there,&nbsp;The pure in heart shall see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">God</span></a>;&nbsp;here, he is a complete&nbsp;adulterer&nbsp;who looks&nbsp;unchastely. And having there called&nbsp;the peace-makers, sons of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">God</span></a>;&nbsp;here He alarms us from another quarter, saying,&nbsp;Lest at any time the adversary deliver you to the&nbsp;judge.&nbsp;Thus also, whereas in the former part He&nbsp;blesses&nbsp;them that mourn, and them that are&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11703a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">persecuted</span></a>; in the following, establishing the very same point, He threatens destruction to them that go not that way; for,&nbsp;They that walk 'in the broad way,' says He, 'make their end there.'&nbsp;And,&nbsp;You cannot serve&nbsp;God&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09580b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">mammon</span></a>,&nbsp;seems to me the same with,&nbsp;Blessed are the merciful,&nbsp;and,&nbsp;those that hunger after righteousness.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">But as I said, since He is going to say these things more clearly, and not only more clearly, but also to add again more than had been already said (for He no longer merely seeks a merciful man, but bids us give up even our coat; not simply a meek&nbsp;person, but to turn also the other cheek to him that would smite us): therefore He first takes away the apparent contradiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">On this account, then, as I have already stated, He said this not once only, but once and again; in that to the words,&nbsp;Think not that I have come to destroy,&nbsp;He added,&nbsp;I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For verily I say unto you, Till&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07170a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Heaven</span></a>&nbsp;and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the&nbsp;law, till all come to pass.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now what He says is like this: it cannot be that it should remain&nbsp;unaccomplished, but the very least thing therein must needs be fulfilled. Which thing He Himself performed, in that He&nbsp;completed&nbsp;it with all exactness.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And here He&nbsp;signifies&nbsp;to us obscurely that the fashion of the whole world is also being changed. Nor did He set it down without purpose, but in order to arouse the hearer, and indicate, that He was with&nbsp;just&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>&nbsp;introducing another&nbsp;discipline; if at least the very works of the&nbsp;creation&nbsp;are all to be transformed, and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09580c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">mankind</span></a>&nbsp;is to be called to another country, and to a higher way of practising how to live.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">5.&nbsp;Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least&nbsp;commandments, and shall teach&nbsp;men&nbsp;so, he shall be called least in the&nbsp;kingdom&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07170a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Heaven</span></a>.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/mat005.htm#verse19"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Matthew&nbsp;5:19</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Thus, having rid Himself of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>&nbsp;suspicion, and having stopped the mouths of them who would fain gainsay, then at length He proceeds to alarm, and sets down a heavy, denunciation in support of the enactments He was entering on.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For as to His having said this in behalf not of the ancient&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09053a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">laws</span></a>, but of those which He was proceeding to enact, listen to what follows,&nbsp;For I say unto you,&nbsp;says He,Unless your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13634a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Scribes</span></a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11789b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pharisees</span></a>, you shall in no case enter into the&nbsp;kingdom&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07170a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Heaven</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For if He were threatening with regard to the ancient&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09053a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">laws</span></a>, how said He,&nbsp;except it shall exceed?&nbsp;since they who did&nbsp;just&nbsp;the same as those ancients, could not exceed them on the score of righteousness.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">But of what kind was the required excess? Not to be&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">angry</span></a>, not even to look upon a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15687b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">woman</span></a>&nbsp;unchastely.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For what&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>&nbsp;then does He call these&nbsp;commandments&nbsp;least,&nbsp;though they were so great and high? Because He Himself was about to introduce the enactment of them; for as He&nbsp;humbled&nbsp;Himself, and speaks of Himself frequently with measure, so likewise of His own enactments, hereby again teaching us to be modest in everything. And besides, since there seemed to be some suspicion of novelty, He ordered His discourse for a while with reserve.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">But when you hear,&nbsp;least in the&nbsp;kingdom&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07170a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Heaven</span></a>,&nbsp;surmise nothing but&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">hell</span></a>&nbsp;and torments. For He was used to mean by&nbsp;the&nbsp;kingdom,&nbsp;not merely the enjoyment thereof, but also the&nbsp;time&nbsp;of the&nbsp;resurrection, and that awful coming. And how could it be reasonable, that while he who called his brother fool, and&nbsp;trangressed but one commandment, falls into&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">hell</span></a>; the breaker of them all, and instigator of others to the same, should be within the&nbsp;kingdom. This therefore is not what He means, but that such a one will be at that&nbsp;time&nbsp;least, that is, cast out, last. And he that is last&nbsp;will&nbsp;surely then fall into&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">hell</span></a>. For, being&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">God</span></a>, He foreknew the laxity of the many, He foreknew that some would think these sayings were merely hyperbolical, and would argue about the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09053a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">laws</span></a>, and say, What, if any one call another a fool, is he punished? If one merely look on a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15687b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">woman</span></a>, does he become an&nbsp;adulterer? For this very&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>&nbsp;He, destroying such insolence beforehand, has set down the strongest denunciation against either sort, as well them who transgress, as them who lead on others so to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08673a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Knowing</span></a>&nbsp;then His threat as we do, let us neither ourselves transgress, nor discourage such as are disposed to keep these things.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">But whosoever shall do and teach,&nbsp;says He,&nbsp;shall be called great.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For not to ourselves alone, should we be profitable, but to others also; since neither is the reward as great for him who guides himself aright, as for one who with himself adds also another. For as teaching without doing condemns the teacher (for&nbsp;you who teach another,&nbsp;it is said,&nbsp;do you not teach yourself&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/rom002.htm#verse21"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Romans&nbsp;2:21</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">?) so doing but not guiding others, lessens our reward. One ought therefore to be chief in either work, and having first set one's self right, thus to proceed also to the care of the rest. For on this account He Himself has set the doing before the teaching; to intimate that so most of all may one be able to teach, but in no other way. For one will be told,Physician, heal yourself.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/luk004.htm#verse23"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Luke&nbsp;4:23</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;Since he who cannot teach himself, yet attempts to set others right, will have many to ridicule him. Or rather such a one will have no power to teach at all, his&nbsp;actions&nbsp;uttering their voice against him. But if he be complete in both respects,&nbsp;he shall be called great in the&nbsp;kingdom&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07170a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Heaven</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">6.&nbsp;For I say unto you, Unless your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness&nbsp;of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13634a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Scribes</span></a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11789b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pharisees</span></a>, you shall in no case enter into the&nbsp;kingdom&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07170a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Heaven</span></a>.</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/mat005.htm#verse20"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Matthew&nbsp;5:20</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here by righteousness He means the whole of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15472a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">virtue</span></a>; even as also discoursing of&nbsp;Job, He said,&nbsp;He was a blameless man, righteous.&nbsp;According to the same&nbsp;signification&nbsp;of the word,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11567b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Paul</span></a>&nbsp;also called that man&nbsp;righteous&nbsp;for whom, as he said, no&nbsp;law&nbsp;is even set.&nbsp;For,&nbsp;says he,&nbsp;a&nbsp;law&nbsp;is not made for a righteous man.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/1ti001.htm#verse9"><span style="text-decoration: none;">1&nbsp;Timothy&nbsp;1:9</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;And in many other places too one might find this name standing for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15472a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">virtue</span></a>&nbsp;in general.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">But observe, I pray you, the increase of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06689a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">grace</span></a>; in that He will have His newly-come&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05029a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">disciples</span></a>&nbsp;better than the teachers in the old covenant. For by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13634a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Scribes</span></a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11789b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pharisees</span></a>here, He meant not merely the lawless, but the well-doers. For, were they not doing well, He would not have said they have a righteousness; neither would He have compared the unreal to the real.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And observe also here, how He commends the old&nbsp;law, by making a comparison between it and the other; which kind of thing implies it to be of the same tribe and&nbsp;kindred. For&nbsp;<i>more</i>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<i>less</i>, is in the same kind. He does not, you see, find fault with the old&nbsp;law, but will have it made stricter. Whereas, had it been&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>,&nbsp;He would not have required more of it; He would not have made it more&nbsp;perfect, but would have cast it out.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And how one may say, if it be such, does it not bring us into the&nbsp;Kingdom? It does not now bring in them who live after the coming of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08374c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Christ</span></a>, favored as they are with more strength, and bound to strive for greater things: since as to its own&nbsp;foster-children, them it does bring in one and all. Yea, for&nbsp;many shall come,&nbsp;says He,&nbsp;from east and west, and shall&nbsp;lie&nbsp;down in the bosoms of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01051a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Abraham</span></a>,&nbsp;Isaac, and&nbsp;Jacob.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/mat008.htm#verse11"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Matthew&nbsp;8:11</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;And&nbsp;Lazarus&nbsp;also receiving the great prize, is shown dwelling in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01051a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Abraham's</span></a>bosom. And all, as many as have shone forth with excellency in the old dispensation, shone by it, every one of them. And&nbsp;Christ&nbsp;Himself, had it been in anything&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>&nbsp;or alien from Him, would not have fulfilled it all when He came. For if only to attract the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08399a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Jews</span></a>&nbsp;He was doing this, and not in order to&nbsp;prove&nbsp;it akin to the new&nbsp;law, and concurrent therewith; wherefore did He not also fulfill the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09053a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">laws</span></a>&nbsp;and customs of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06422a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Gentiles</span></a>, that He might attract the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06422a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Gentiles</span></a>&nbsp;also?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">So that from all considerations it is clear, that not from any badness in itself does it fail to bring us in, but because it is now the season of higher&nbsp;precepts.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And if it be more imperfect than the new, neither does this imply it to be&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>: since upon this principle the new&nbsp;law&nbsp;itself will be in the very same case. Because in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15073a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">truth</span></a>our&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08673a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">knowledge</span></a>&nbsp;of this, when compared with that which is to come, is a sort of partial and imperfect thing, and is done away on the coming of that other.&nbsp;For when,&nbsp;says He,&nbsp;that which is&nbsp;perfect&nbsp;has come, then that which is in part shall be done away:&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/1co013.htm#verse10"><span style="text-decoration: none;">1&nbsp;Corinthians&nbsp;13:10</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;even as it befell the old&nbsp;law&nbsp;through the new. Yet we are not to blame the new&nbsp;law&nbsp;for this, though that also gives place on our attaining unto the&nbsp;Kingdom: for&nbsp;then,&nbsp;says He,&nbsp;that which is in part shall be done away:&nbsp;but for all this we call it great.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Since then both the rewards thereof are greater, and the power given by the&nbsp;Spirit&nbsp;more abundant, in&nbsp;reason&nbsp;it requires our&nbsp;graces&nbsp;to be greater also. For it is no longera land that flows with milk and honey,&nbsp;nor a&nbsp;comfortable&nbsp;old age, nor many children, nor grain and&nbsp;wine, and flocks and herds: but&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07170a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Heaven</span></a>, and the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06636b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">good</span></a>&nbsp;things in the Heavens, and&nbsp;adoption&nbsp;and brotherhood with the Only-Begotten, and to partake of the inheritance and to be&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06585a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">glorified</span></a>&nbsp;and to reign with Him, and those unnumbered rewards. And as to our having received more abundant help, hear&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11567b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Paul</span></a>, when he says,&nbsp;There is therefore no condemnation now to them which are in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08374c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Christ Jesus</span></a>, who walk not after the flesh, but after the&nbsp;Spirit:&nbsp;for the&nbsp;law&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Spirit&nbsp;of life has made me free from the&nbsp;law&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sin</span></a>&nbsp;and death.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/rom008.htm#verse1"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Romans&nbsp;8:1-2</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">7. And now after threatening the transgressors, and setting great rewards for them that do right, and&nbsp;signifying&nbsp;that He&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08571c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">justly</span></a>&nbsp;requires of us something beyond the former measures; He from this point begins to legislate, not simply, but by way of comparison with the ancient ordinances, desiring to intimate these two things: first, that not as contending with the former, but rather in great&nbsp;harmony&nbsp;with them, He is making these enactments; next, that it was meet and very seasonable for Him to add thereto these second&nbsp;precepts.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And that this may be made yet clearer, let us hearken to the words of the&nbsp;Legislator. What then does He Himself say?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">You have heard that it was said to them of old&nbsp;time, You shall not&nbsp;kill.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/mat005.htm#verse21"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Matthew&nbsp;5:21</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And yet it was Himself who gave those&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09053a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">laws</span></a>&nbsp;also, but so far He states them&nbsp;impersonally. For if on the one hand He had said,&nbsp;You have heard that I said to them of old,the saying would have been hard to receive, and would have stood in the way of all the hearers. If again, on the other hand, after having said,&nbsp;You have heard that it was said to them of old by my Father,&nbsp;He had added,&nbsp;But I say,&nbsp;He would have seemed to be taking yet more on Himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Wherefore He has simply stated it, making out thereby one point only; the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12454c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">proof</span></a>&nbsp;that in fitting season He had come saying these things. For by the words,&nbsp;It was said to them of old,&nbsp;He pointed out the length of the&nbsp;time, since they received this&nbsp;commandment. And this He did to shame the hearer, shrinking from the advance to the higher class of His&nbsp;commandments; as though a teacher should say to a child that was indolent,&nbsp;Do you not&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08675a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">know</span></a>&nbsp;how long a&nbsp;time&nbsp;you have consumed in learning syllables? This then He also covertly intimates by the expression,&nbsp;them of old&nbsp;time,&nbsp;and thus for the future summons them on to the higher order of His instructions: as if He had said,&nbsp;You are learning these lessons long enough, and you must henceforth press on to such as are higher than these.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And it is well that He does not disturb the order of the&nbsp;commandments, but begins first with that which comes earlier, with which the&nbsp;law&nbsp;also began. Yea, for this too suits with one showing the&nbsp;harmony&nbsp;between them.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">But I say unto you, that whosoever is&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">angry</span></a>&nbsp;with his brother without a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>, shall be in danger of the&nbsp;judgment.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Do you see authority in&nbsp;perfection? Do you see a bearing suited to a legislator? Why, which among&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12477a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prophets</span></a>&nbsp;ever spoke on this wise? Which among righteous&nbsp;men? Which among&nbsp;patriarchs? None; but,&nbsp;Thus says the&nbsp;Lord.&nbsp;But the Son not so. Because they were publishing their&nbsp;Master's&nbsp;commands, He His Father's. And when I say,&nbsp;His Father's,&nbsp;I mean His own.&nbsp;For mine,&nbsp;says He,&nbsp;are yours, and yours are mine.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/joh017.htm#verse10"><span style="text-decoration: none;">John&nbsp;17:10</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;And they had their fellow-servants to legislate for, He His own servants.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Let us now ask those who reject the&nbsp;law,&nbsp;is, 'Be not&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">angry</span></a>' contrary to 'Do no&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07441a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">murder</span></a>'? Or is not the one&nbsp;commandment&nbsp;the completion and the development of the other?&nbsp;Clearly the one is the fulfilling of the other, and that is greater on this very account. Since he who is not stirred up to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">anger</span></a>,&nbsp;will&nbsp;much more refrain from&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07441a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">murder</span></a>; and he who bridles&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">wrath</span></a>&nbsp;will&nbsp;much more keep his hands to himself. For&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">wrath</span></a>&nbsp;is the root of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07441a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">murder</span></a>. And you see that He who cuts up the root&nbsp;will&nbsp;much more remove the branches; or rather, will not permit them so much as to shoot out at all. Not therefore to abolish the&nbsp;law&nbsp;did He make these enactments, but for the more complete observation of it. For with what design did the&nbsp;law&nbsp;enjoin these things? Was it not, that no one might&nbsp;slay&nbsp;his neighbor? It follows, that he who was opposing the&nbsp;law would have to enjoin&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07441a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">murder</span></a>. For to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07441a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">murder</span></a>, were the contrary to doing no&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07441a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">murder</span></a>. But if He does not suffer one even to be&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">angry</span></a>, the&nbsp;mind&nbsp;of the&nbsp;law&nbsp;is established by Him more completely. For he that studies to avoid&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07441a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">murder</span></a>&nbsp;will not refrain from it equally with him that has put away even&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">anger</span></a>; this latter being further removed from the crime.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">8. But that we may convict them in another way also, let us bring forward all their allegations. What then do they affirm? They assert that the&nbsp;God&nbsp;who made the world, who&nbsp;makes His sun to&nbsp;rise&nbsp;on the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>&nbsp;and on the&nbsp;good, who sends the rain on the&nbsp;just&nbsp;and on the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08010c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">unjust</span></a>,&nbsp;is in some sense an&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>&nbsp;being.&nbsp;But the more moderate (forsooth) among them, though declining this, yet while they affirm Him to be&nbsp;just, they deprive Him of being&nbsp;good. And some other one, who is not, nor made any of the things that are, they assign for a Father to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08374c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Christ</span></a>. And they say that he, who is not&nbsp;good, abides in his own, and preserves what are his own; but that He, that is&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06636b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">good</span></a>, seeks what are another's, and desires of a sudden to become a&nbsp;Saviour&nbsp;to them whose&nbsp;Creator&nbsp;He was not.&nbsp;Do you see the children of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04764a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">devil</span></a>, how they speak out of the fountain of their father,&nbsp;alienating&nbsp;the work of&nbsp;creation&nbsp;from&nbsp;God: while&nbsp;John&nbsp;cries out,&nbsp;He came&nbsp;unto His own,&nbsp;and,&nbsp;The world was made by Him?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the next place, they criticise the&nbsp;law&nbsp;in the old covenant, which bids put out&nbsp;an eye for an eye,&nbsp;and&nbsp;a tooth for a tooth;&nbsp;and straightway they insult and say,Why, how can He be&nbsp;good&nbsp;who speaks so?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">What then do we say in answer to this? That it is the highest kind of philanthropy. For He made this&nbsp;law, not that we might strike out one another's eyes, but that&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06021a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">fear</span></a>&nbsp;of suffering by others might restrain us from doing any such thing to them. As therefore He threatened the&nbsp;Ninevites&nbsp;with overthrow, not that He might destroy them, (for had that been His&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15624a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">will</span></a>, He ought to have been silent), but that He might by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06021a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">fear</span></a>&nbsp;make them better, and so quiet His&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">wrath</span></a>: so also has He appointed a punishment for those who wantonly assail the eyes of others, that if&nbsp;good&nbsp;principle dispose them not to refrain from such cruelty,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06021a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">fear</span></a>&nbsp;may restrain them from injuring their&nbsp;neighbor's sight.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And if this be cruelty, it is cruelty also for the&nbsp;murderer&nbsp;to be restrained, and the&nbsp;adulterer&nbsp;checked. But these are the sayings of senseless&nbsp;men, and of those that are mad&nbsp;to the extreme of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08041a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">madness</span></a>. For I, so far from saying that this comes of cruelty, should say, that the contrary to this would be unlawful, according to&nbsp;men's reckoning. And whereas, you say,&nbsp;Because He commanded to pluck out&nbsp;an eye for an eye,&nbsp;therefore He is cruel;&nbsp;I say, that if He had not given this&nbsp;commandment, then He would have seemed, in the&nbsp;judgment&nbsp;of most&nbsp;men, to be that which you say He is.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For let us suppose that this&nbsp;law&nbsp;had been altogether done away, and that no one&nbsp;feared&nbsp;the punishment ensuing thereupon, but that license had been given to all the<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">wicked</span></a>&nbsp;to follow their own disposition in all security, to&nbsp;adulterers, and to&nbsp;murderers,&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11696a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">perjured</span></a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11726a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">persons</span></a>, and to parricides; would not all things have been turned upside down? Would not cities, market-places, and houses, sea and land, and the whole world, have been filled with unnumbered pollutions and&nbsp;murders? Every one sees it. For if, when there are&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09053a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">laws</span></a>, and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06021a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">fear</span></a>, and threatening, our&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>&nbsp;dispositions are hardly checked; were even this security taken away, what is there to prevent&nbsp;men's&nbsp;choosing<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15403c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">vice</span></a>? And what degree of mischief would not then come revelling upon the whole of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09580c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">human</span></a>&nbsp;life?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">The rather, since cruelty&nbsp;lies&nbsp;not only in allowing the bad to do what they will, but in another thing too quite as much; to overlook, and leave&nbsp;uncared&nbsp;for, him who has done no wrong, but who is without&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;reason&nbsp;suffering ill. For tell me; were any one to gather together&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">wicked</span></a>&nbsp;men&nbsp;from all quarters, and arm them with swords, and bid them go about the whole city, and massacre all that came in their way, could there be anything more like a wild beast than he? And what if some other should bind, and confine with the utmost strictness those whom that man had armed, and should snatch from those lawless hands them, who were on the point of being butchered; could anything be greater humanity than this?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now then, I bid you transfer these examples to the&nbsp;law&nbsp;likewise; for He that commands to pluck out&nbsp;an eye for an eye,&nbsp;has laid the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06021a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">fear</span></a>&nbsp;as a kind of strong chain upon the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14153a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">souls</span></a>&nbsp;of the bad, and so resembles him, who detains those&nbsp;assassins&nbsp;in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12430a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prison</span></a>; whereas he who appoints no punishment for them, does all but arm them by such security, and&nbsp;acts&nbsp;the part of that other, who was putting the swords in their hands, and letting them loose over the whole city.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Do you see not, how the&nbsp;commandments, so far from coming of cruelty, come rather of abounding mercy? And if on account of these you call the&nbsp;Lawgiver&nbsp;grievous, and hard to bear with; tell me which sort of command is the more toilsome and grievous,&nbsp;Do no&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07441a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">murder</span></a>,&nbsp;or,&nbsp;Be not even&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">angry</span></a>? Which is more in extreme, he who exacts a penalty&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07441a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">murder</span></a>, or for mere&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">anger</span></a>? He who subjects the&nbsp;adulterer&nbsp;to vengeance after the fact, or he who enjoins a&nbsp;penalty&nbsp;even for the very desire, and that&nbsp;penalty everlasting? See ye not how their reasoning comes round to the very contrary? How the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">God</span></a>&nbsp;of the old covenant, whom they call cruel, will be found mild and meek: and He of the new, whom they acknowledged to be&nbsp;good, will be hard and grievous, according to their&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08041a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">madness</span></a>? Whereas we say, that there is but one and the same Legislator&nbsp;of either covenant, who dispensed all meetly, and adapted to the difference of the times the difference between the two systems of&nbsp;law. Therefore neither are the first&nbsp;commandments&nbsp;cruel, nor the second hard and grievous, but all of one and the same&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12510a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">providential</span></a>&nbsp;care.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For that He Himself gave the old covenant also, hear the&nbsp;affirmation&nbsp;of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12477a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prophet</span></a>, or rather (so we must speak), of Him who is both the one and the other:&nbsp;I will make a covenant with you, not according to the covenant which I made with your fathers.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/jer031.htm#verse31"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Jeremiah&nbsp;31:31-32</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">But if he receive not this, who is diseased with the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09591a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Manichæan</span></a>&nbsp;doctrines,&nbsp;let him hear&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11567b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Paul</span></a>&nbsp;saying the very same in another place,&nbsp;For&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01051a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Abraham</span></a>&nbsp;had two sons, one by the bondmaid, and another by the free woman; and these are two covenants.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/gal004.htm#verse22"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Galatians&nbsp;4:22</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;As therefore in that case the wives are different, the husband the same; so here too the covenants are two, the&nbsp;Lawgiver&nbsp;one.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And to&nbsp;prove&nbsp;to you that it was of one and the same mildness; in the one He says,&nbsp;An eye for an eye,&nbsp;but in this other,<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">If one smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/mat005.htm#verse39"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Matthew&nbsp;5:39</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For as in that case He checks him that does the wrong with the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06021a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">fear</span></a>&nbsp;of this suffering, even so also in this.&nbsp;How so,&nbsp;it may be said,&nbsp;when He bids turn to him the other cheek also?&nbsp;Nay, what of that? Since not to take away his&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06021a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">fear</span></a>&nbsp;did He enjoin this, but as charging yourself to allow him to take his fill entirely. Neither did He say, that the other continues unpunished, but,&nbsp;do not thou punish;&nbsp;at once both&nbsp;enhancing&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06021a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">fear</span></a>&nbsp;of him that smites, if he persist, and comforting him who is smitten.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">9. But these things we have said, as one might say them incidentally, concerning all the&nbsp;commandments. Now we must go on to that which is before us, and keep to the thread of what had been affirmed.&nbsp;He that is&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">angry</span></a>&nbsp;with his brother without a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>&nbsp;shall be in danger of the&nbsp;judgment:&nbsp;so He speaks. Thus He has not altogether taken the thing away: first, because it is not possible, being a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09580c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">man</span></a>, to be freed from&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11534a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">passions</span></a>: we may indeed get the dominion over them, but to be altogether without them is out of the question.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Next, because this&nbsp;passion&nbsp;is even useful, if we&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08673a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">know</span></a>&nbsp;how to use it at the suitable&nbsp;time.&nbsp;See, for instance, what great&nbsp;good&nbsp;was wrought by that&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">anger</span></a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11567b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Paul</span></a>, which he felt against the&nbsp;Corinthians, on that well-known occasion; and how, as it delivered them from a grievous&nbsp;pest, so by the same means again he recovered the people of the Galatians&nbsp;likewise, which had fallen aside; and others too beside these. What then is the proper&nbsp;time&nbsp;for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">anger</span></a>? When we are not avenging ourselves, but checking others in their lawless&nbsp;freaks, or forcing them to attend in their negligence.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And what is the unsuitable&nbsp;time? When we do so as avenging ourselves: which&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11567b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Paul</span></a>&nbsp;also forbidding, said&nbsp;Avenge not yourselves, dearly beloved, but rather give place unto&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">wrath</span></a>.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/rom012.htm#verse19"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Romans&nbsp;12:19</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;When we are contending for&nbsp;riches: yea, for this has he also taken away, where he says,&nbsp;Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/1co006.htm#verse7"><span style="text-decoration: none;">1&nbsp;Corinthians&nbsp;6:7</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;For as this last sort is superfluous, so is the first&nbsp;necessary&nbsp;and profitable. But most&nbsp;men&nbsp;do the contrary; becoming like wild beasts when they are injured themselves, but remiss and cowardly when they see despite done to another: both which are&nbsp;just&nbsp;opposite to the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09053a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">laws</span></a>&nbsp;of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06655b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Gospel</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Being&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">angry</span></a>&nbsp;then is not a&nbsp;transgression, but being so unseasonably. For this&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12477a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prophet</span></a>&nbsp;also said,&nbsp;Be&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">angry</span></a>, and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sin</span></a>&nbsp;not.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">10.&nbsp;And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the&nbsp;council.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">By the&nbsp;council&nbsp;in this place He means the tribunal of the&nbsp;Hebrews: and He has mentioned this now, on purpose that He might not seem everywhere to play the stranger and&nbsp;innovator.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">But this word,&nbsp;Raca,&nbsp;is not an expression of a great insolence, but rather of some&nbsp;contempt&nbsp;and slight on the part of the speaker. For as we, giving orders either to our servants, or to any very inferior&nbsp;person, say,&nbsp;Away with you; you here, tell such an one:&nbsp;so they who make use of the&nbsp;Syrians'&nbsp;language say,&nbsp;Raca,&nbsp;putting that word instead of&nbsp;you.&nbsp;But&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">God</span></a>, the lover of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09580c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">man</span></a>, roots up even the least faults, commanding us to behave to one another in seemly manner, and with due respect; and this with a view of destroying hereby also the greater.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">But whosoever shall say, You fool, shall be in danger of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">hell</span></a>&nbsp;fire.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">To many this&nbsp;commandment&nbsp;has appeared grievous and galling, if for a mere word we are really to pay so great a&nbsp;penalty. And some even say that it was spoken rather hyperbolically. But I&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06021a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">fear</span></a>&nbsp;lest, when we have deceived ourselves with words here, we may in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01115a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">deeds</span></a>&nbsp;there suffer that extreme punishment.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For wherefore, tell me, does the&nbsp;commandment&nbsp;seem&nbsp;over burdensome? Do you not&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08675a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">know</span></a>&nbsp;that most punishments and most&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sins</span></a>&nbsp;have their beginning from words? Yea, for by words are&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02595a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">blasphemies</span></a>, and&nbsp;denials&nbsp;are by words, and revilings, and reproaches, and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11696a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">perjuries</span></a>, and bearing&nbsp;false&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15677a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">witness</span></a>.&nbsp;Regard&nbsp;not then its being a mere word, but whether it have not much danger, this do thou inquire. Are you&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07648a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">ignorant</span></a>&nbsp;that in the season of enmity, when&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">wrath</span></a>&nbsp;is inflamed, and the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14153a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">soul</span></a>&nbsp;kindled, even the least thing appears great, and what is not very reproachful is counted intolerable? And often these little things have given birth even to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07441a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">murder</span></a>, and overthrown whole cities. For&nbsp;just as where friendship is, even grievous things are light, so where enmity&nbsp;lies&nbsp;beneath, very trifles appear intolerable. And however simply a word be spoken, it is surmised to have been spoken with an&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>&nbsp;meaning. And as in fire: if there be but a small spark, though thousands of planks&nbsp;lie&nbsp;by, it does not easily&nbsp;lay&nbsp;hold of them; but if the flame have waxed strong and high, it readily seizes not planks only, but stones, and all materials that fall in its way; and by what things it is usually quenched, by the same it is kindled the more (for some say that at such a&nbsp;time&nbsp;not only wood and tow, and the other&nbsp;combustibles, but even water darted forth upon it does but fan its power the more); so is it also with&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">anger</span></a>; whatever any one may say, becomes food in a moment for this&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>&nbsp;conflagration. All which kind of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evils</span></a>&nbsp;Christ&nbsp;checking beforehand, had condemned first him that is&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">angry</span></a>&nbsp;without a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>&nbsp;to the&nbsp;judgment, (this being the very&nbsp;reason&nbsp;why He said,&nbsp;He that is&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">angry</span></a>&nbsp;shall be in danger of the judgment); then him that says&nbsp;Raca,&nbsp;to the&nbsp;council. But as yet these are no great things; for the punishments are here. Therefore for him who calls&nbsp;fool&nbsp;He has added the fire of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">hell</span></a>, now for the first&nbsp;time&nbsp;mentioning the name of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">hell</span></a>. For having before discoursed much of the&nbsp;kingdom, not until then did He mention this; implying, that the former comes of His own&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09397a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">love</span></a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;indulgence&nbsp;towards man, this latter of our negligence.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">11. And see how He proceeds little by little in His punishments, all but excusing Himself unto you, and&nbsp;signifying&nbsp;that His desire indeed is to threaten nothing of the kind, but that we drag Him on to such denunciations. For observe:&nbsp;I bade you,&nbsp;says He,&nbsp;not be&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">angry</span></a>&nbsp;for nought, because you are in danger of the&nbsp;judgment. You have despised the former&nbsp;commandment: see what&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">anger</span></a>&nbsp;has produced; it has led you on straightway to insult, for you have called your brother 'Raca.' Again, I set another punishment, 'the&nbsp;council.' If you overlook even this, and proceed to that which is more grievous, I visit you no longer with these finite punishments, but with the undying penalty&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">hell</span></a>, lest after this you should break forth&nbsp;even to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07441a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">murder</span></a>.&nbsp;For there is nothing, nothing in the world more intolerable than insolence; it is what has very great power&nbsp;to sting a&nbsp;man's&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14153a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">soul</span></a>. But when the word too which is spoken is in itself more wounding than the insolence, the blaze becomes twice as great. Think it not then a light thing to call another&nbsp;fool.&nbsp;For when of that which separates us from the brutes, and by which especially we are&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09580c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">human</span></a>&nbsp;beings, namely, the&nbsp;mind&nbsp;and the understanding—when of this you have&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14564b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">robbed</span></a>&nbsp;your brother, you have deprived him of all his nobleness.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Let us not then regard the words merely, but realizing the things themselves, and his feeling, let us consider how great a wound is made by this word, and unto how much<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>&nbsp;it proceeds. For this&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11567b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Paul</span></a>&nbsp;likewise cast out of the&nbsp;kingdom&nbsp;not only&nbsp;the&nbsp;adulterous&nbsp;and&nbsp;the effeminate,&nbsp;but&nbsp;the revilers&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/1co006.htm#verse9"><span style="text-decoration: none;">1&nbsp;Corinthians&nbsp;6:9-10</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;also. And with great&nbsp;reason: for the insolent man mars all the beauty of&nbsp;charity, and casts upon his neighbor unnumbered ills, and works up lasting&nbsp;enmities, and tears asunder the members of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08374c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Christ</span></a>, and is daily driving away that peace which&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">God</span></a>&nbsp;so desires: giving much vantage ground unto the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04764a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">devil</span></a>&nbsp;by his injurious ways, and making him the stronger. Therefore&nbsp;Christ&nbsp;Himself, cutting out the sinews of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04764a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">devil's</span></a>&nbsp;power, brought in this&nbsp;law.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For indeed He makes much account of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09397a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">love</span></a>: this being above all things the mother of every&nbsp;good, and the badge of His&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05029a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">disciples</span></a>, and the bond which holds together our whole condition. With&nbsp;reason&nbsp;therefore does He remove with great earnestness the roots and the sources of that&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07149b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">hatred</span></a>&nbsp;which utterly spoils it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Think not therefore that these sayings are in any wise hyperbolical, but consider the&nbsp;good&nbsp;done by them, and admire the mildness of these&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09053a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">laws</span></a>. For there is nothing for which&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">God</span></a>&nbsp;takes so much pains, as this; that we should be united and knit together one with another. Therefore both in His own&nbsp;person, and by His&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05029a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">disciples</span></a>, as well those in the&nbsp;Old, as in the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14530a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">New Testament</span></a>, He makes so much account of this&nbsp;commandment; and is a severe avenger and punisher of those who&nbsp;despise&nbsp;the&nbsp;duty. For in<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15073a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">truth</span></a>&nbsp;nothing so effectually gives entrance and root to all&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">wickedness</span></a>, as the taking away of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09397a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">love</span></a>. Wherefore He also said,&nbsp;When&nbsp;iniquity&nbsp;abounds, the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09397a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">love</span></a>&nbsp;of the many shall wax cold.&nbsp;Thus&nbsp;Cain&nbsp;became his brother's&nbsp;murderer; thus&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05527c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Esau</span></a>; thus&nbsp;Joseph's&nbsp;brethren; thus our unnumbered crimes have come revelling in, this bond being dissevered. You see why He Himself also roots out whatever things injure this, on every side, with great exactness.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">12. Neither does He stop at those&nbsp;precepts&nbsp;only which have been mentioned, but adds also others more than those: whereby He&nbsp;signifies&nbsp;how much account He makes thereof.&nbsp;Namely, having threatened by&nbsp;the&nbsp;council,&nbsp;by&nbsp;the&nbsp;judgment,&nbsp;and by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">hell</span></a>,&nbsp;He added other sayings again in&nbsp;harmony&nbsp;with the former, saying thus:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">If you bring your&nbsp;gift&nbsp;to the&nbsp;altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you; leave there your&nbsp;gift&nbsp;before the&nbsp;altar, and go away;&nbsp;first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and&nbsp;offer&nbsp;your&nbsp;gift.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/mat005.htm#verse23"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Matthew&nbsp;5:23-24</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">O&nbsp;goodness! O exceeding&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09397a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">love</span></a>&nbsp;to man! He makes no account of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07462a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">honor</span></a>&nbsp;due unto Himself, for the sake of our&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09397a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">love</span></a>&nbsp;towards our neighbor; implying that not at all from any enmity, nor out of any desire to punish, had He uttered those former threatenings, but out of very tender affection. For what can be milder than these sayings?&nbsp;Let my service,&nbsp;says he,&nbsp;be interrupted, that your&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09397a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">love</span></a>&nbsp;may continue; since this also is a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13309a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sacrifice</span></a>, your being reconciled to your brother.&nbsp;Yea, for this&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>&nbsp;He said not,after the&nbsp;offering,&nbsp;or&nbsp;before the&nbsp;offering;&nbsp;but, while the very&nbsp;gift&nbsp;lies&nbsp;there, and when the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13309a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sacrifice</span></a>&nbsp;is already beginning, He sends you to be reconciled to your brother; and neither after removing that which&nbsp;lies&nbsp;before us,&nbsp;nor before presenting the&nbsp;gift, but while it&nbsp;lies&nbsp;in the midst, He bids you hasten there.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">With what motive then does He command so to do, and wherefore? These two ends, as it appears to me, He is hereby&nbsp;shadowing&nbsp;out and providing for. First, as I have said, His&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15624a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">will</span></a>&nbsp;is to point out that He highly values&nbsp;charity,&nbsp;and considers it to be the greatest&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13309a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sacrifice</span></a>: and that without it He does not receive even that other; next, He is imposing such a&nbsp;necessity&nbsp;of reconciliation, as admits of no excuse. For whoso has been charged not to&nbsp;offer&nbsp;before he be reconciled,&nbsp;will&nbsp;hasten, if not for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09397a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">love</span></a>&nbsp;of his neighbor, yet, that this may not&nbsp;lie&nbsp;unconsecrated,&nbsp;to run unto him who has been grieved, and do away the enmity. For this&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>&nbsp;He has also expressed it all most significantly, to alarm and thoroughly to awaken him. Thus, when He had said,&nbsp;Leave your&nbsp;gift,&nbsp;He stayed not at this, but added,&nbsp;before the&nbsp;altar&nbsp;(by the very place again&nbsp;causing&nbsp;him to shudder);&nbsp;and go away.&nbsp;And He said not merely,&nbsp;Go away,&nbsp;but He added,&nbsp;first, and then come and&nbsp;offer&nbsp;your&nbsp;gift.&nbsp;By all these things making it manifest, that this table receives not them that are at enmity with each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Let the initiated hear this, as many as draw near in enmity: and let the uninitiated hear too: yea, for the saying has some relation to them also. For they too&nbsp;offer&nbsp;a&nbsp;gift and a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13309a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sacrifice</span></a>:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12345b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prayer</span></a>, I mean, and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01328f.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">alms giving</span></a>. For as to this also being a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13309a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sacrifice</span></a>, hear what the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12477a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prophet</span></a>&nbsp;says:&nbsp;A&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13309a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sacrifice</span></a>&nbsp;of praise&nbsp;will&nbsp;glorify&nbsp;me;&nbsp;and again,Sacrifice to&nbsp;God&nbsp;a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13309a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sacrifice</span></a>&nbsp;of praise;&nbsp;and,&nbsp;The lifting up of mine hands is an evening&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13309a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sacrifice</span></a>.&nbsp;So that if it be but a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12345b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prayer</span></a>, which you are&nbsp;offering&nbsp;in such a frame of<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10321a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">mind</span></a>, it were better to leave your&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12345b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prayer</span></a>, and become reconciled to your brother, and then to&nbsp;offer&nbsp;your&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12345b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prayer</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For to this end were all things done: to this end even&nbsp;God&nbsp;became man, and took order for all those works, that He might set us at one.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And whereas in this place He is sending the wrong doer to the sufferer, in His&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12345b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prayer</span></a>&nbsp;He leads the sufferer to the wrong doer, and reconciles them. For as there He says,Forgive&nbsp;men&nbsp;their&nbsp;debts;&nbsp;so here,&nbsp;If he has ought against you, go your way unto him.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Or rather, even here too He seems to me to be sending the injured&nbsp;person: and for some such&nbsp;reason&nbsp;He said not,&nbsp;Reconcile yourself to your brother,&nbsp;but,&nbsp;Be thou reconciled.&nbsp;And while the saying seems to pertain to the&nbsp;aggressor, the whole of it really pertains to him that is aggrieved. Thus,&nbsp;If you are reconciled to him,&nbsp;says&nbsp;Christ,through your&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09397a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">love</span></a>&nbsp;to him you will have me also propitious, and will be able to&nbsp;offer&nbsp;your&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13309a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sacrifice</span></a>&nbsp;with great confidence. But if you are still irritated, consider that even I readily command that which is mine to be lightly esteemed, that you may become friends; and let these thoughts be soothing to your&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">anger</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And He said not,&nbsp;When you have suffered any of the greater wrongs, then be reconciled; but,&nbsp;Though it be some trifle that he has against you.&nbsp;And He added not,Whether&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08571c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">justly</span></a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08010c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">unjustly</span></a>;&nbsp;but merely,&nbsp;If he has ought against you.&nbsp;For though it be&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08571c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">justly</span></a>, not even in that case ought thou to&nbsp;protract&nbsp;the enmity; since&nbsp;Christ&nbsp;also was&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08571c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">justly</span></a>&nbsp;angered with us, yet nevertheless He gave Himself for us to be&nbsp;slain,&nbsp;not imputing those trespasses.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/2co005.htm#verse19"><span style="text-decoration: none;">2&nbsp;Corinthians&nbsp;5:19</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For this&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11567b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Paul</span></a>&nbsp;also, when urging us in another way to reconciliation, said,&nbsp;Let not the sun go down upon your&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">wrath</span></a>.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/eph004.htm#verse26"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Ephesians&nbsp;4:26</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;For much as&nbsp;Christ&nbsp;by this argument of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13309a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sacrifice</span></a>, so there&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11567b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Paul</span></a>&nbsp;by that of the day, is urging us on to the self-same point. Because in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15073a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">truth</span></a>&nbsp;he&nbsp;fears&nbsp;the night, lest it overtake him that is smitten alone, and make the wound greater. For whereas in the day there are many to distract, and draw him off; in the night, when he is alone, and is thinking it over by himself, the waves swell, and the storm becomes greater. Therefore&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11567b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Paul</span></a>, you see, to prevent this, would fain commit him to the night already reconciled, that the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04764a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">devil</span></a>&nbsp;may after that have no opportunity, from his solitude, to&nbsp;rekindle&nbsp;the furnace of his&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">wrath</span></a>, and make it fiercer. Thus also&nbsp;Christ&nbsp;permits not, though it be ever so little delay, lest, the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13309a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sacrifice</span></a>&nbsp;being accomplished, such an one become more remiss,&nbsp;procrastinating&nbsp;from day to day: for He&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08673a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">knows</span></a>&nbsp;that the case requires very speedy treatment. And as a skillful physician exhibits not only the&nbsp;preventives&nbsp;of our diseases, but their&nbsp;correctives&nbsp;also, even so does He likewise. Thus, to forbid our calling&nbsp;fool,&nbsp;is a preventive of enmity; but to command reconciliation is a means of removing the diseases that ensue on the enmity.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And mark how both commands are set forth with earnestness. For as in the former case He threatened&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">hell</span></a>, so here He receives not the&nbsp;gift&nbsp;before the reconciliation, indicating great displeasure, and by all these methods destroying both the root and the produce.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And first of all He says,&nbsp;Be not&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">angry</span></a>;&nbsp;and after that,&nbsp;revile not.&nbsp;For indeed both these are augmented, the one by the other: from enmity is reviling, from reviling enmity. On this account then He heals now the root, and now the fruit; hindering indeed the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>&nbsp;from ever springing up in the first instance: but if perchance it may have sprouted up and borne its most&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>&nbsp;fruit, then by all means He burns it down the more.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">13. Therefore, you see, having mentioned, first the&nbsp;judgment, then the&nbsp;council, then&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">hell</span></a>, and having spoken of His own&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13309a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">sacrifice</span></a>, He adds other topics again, thus speaking:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are in the way with him.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/mat005.htm#verse25"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Matthew&nbsp;5:25</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">That is, that you may not say,&nbsp;What then, if I am injured;&nbsp;what if I am plundered, and dragged too before the tribunal?&nbsp;even this occasion and excuse He has taken away: for He commands us not even so to be at enmity. Then, since this injunction was great, He draws His advice from the things present, which are wont to restrain the grosser sort more than the future.&nbsp;Why, what do you say?&nbsp;says He.&nbsp;That your adversary is stronger, and does you wrong? Of course then he will wrong you more, if you do not make it up, but art forced to go into court. For in the former case, by giving up some money, you will keep your&nbsp;person&nbsp;free; but when you have come under the sentence of the&nbsp;judge, you will both be bound, and pay the utmost&nbsp;penalty. But if you avoid the contest there, you will reap two&nbsp;good&nbsp;results: first, not having to suffer anything painful: and secondly, that the&nbsp;good&nbsp;done will be thereafter your own doing, and no longer the effect of compulsion on his part. But if you will not be ruled by these sayings, you wrong not him, so much as yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">And see here also how He hastens him; for having said,&nbsp;Agree with your adversary,&nbsp;He added,&nbsp;quickly;&nbsp;and He was not&nbsp;satisfied&nbsp;with this, but even of this quickness He has required a further increase, saying,&nbsp;Whilst you are in the way with him;&nbsp;pressing and hastening him hereby with great earnestness. For nothing does so much turn our life upside down, as delay and procrastination in the performance of our&nbsp;good&nbsp;works. Nay, this has often&nbsp;caused&nbsp;us to lose all. Therefore, as&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11567b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Paul</span></a>&nbsp;for his part says,&nbsp;Before the sun set, do away the enmity;&nbsp;and as He Himself had said above,&nbsp;Before the&nbsp;offering&nbsp;is completed, be reconciled;&nbsp;so He says in this place also, Quickly, while you are in the way with him,&nbsp;before you have come to the doors of the court; before you stand at the bar and art come to be thenceforth under the sway of him that&nbsp;judges. Since, before entering in, you have all in your own control; but if you set your foot on that threshold, you will not by ever so earnest efforts be able to arrange your matters at your&nbsp;will, having come under the constraint of another.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">But what is it&nbsp;to agree?&nbsp;He means either,&nbsp;consent rather to suffer wrong?&nbsp;or,&nbsp;so plead the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>, as if you were in the place of the other;&nbsp;that you may not corrupt <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08571c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">justice</span></a>&nbsp;by self-<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09397a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">love</span></a>, but rather, deliberating on another's&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>&nbsp;as your own, may so proceed to deliver your vote in this&nbsp;matter. And if this be a great thing, marvel not; since with this view did He set forth all those His&nbsp;blessings, that having beforehand smoothed and prepared the hearer's&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14153a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">soul</span></a>, he might render it&nbsp;apter&nbsp;to receive all His enactments.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now some say that He obscurely&nbsp;signifies&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04764a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">devil</span></a>&nbsp;himself, under the name of the adversary; and bids us have nothing of his, (for this, they say, is to&nbsp;agree&nbsp;with him): no compromise being possible after our departure hence, nor anything awaiting us, but that punishment, from which no&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12345b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prayers</span></a>&nbsp;can deliver. But to me He seems to be speaking of the&nbsp;judges&nbsp;in this world, and of the way to the court of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08571c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">justice</span></a>, and of this&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12430a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prison</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For after he had abashed&nbsp;men&nbsp;by higher things, and things future, he alarms them also by such as are in this life. Which thing&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11567b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Paul</span></a>&nbsp;also does, using both the future and the present to sway his hearer: as when,&nbsp;deterring&nbsp;from&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">wickedness</span></a>, he points out to him that is inclined to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>, the ruler armed: thus saying,&nbsp;But if you do that which is<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>, be&nbsp;afraid; for he bears not the sword in vain; for he is a&nbsp;minister&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">God</span></a>.&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/rom013.htm#verse4"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Romans&nbsp;13:4</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;And again, enjoining us to be subject unto him, he sets forth not the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06021a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">fear</span></a>&nbsp;of God&nbsp;only, but the threatening also of the other party, and his watchful care.&nbsp;For you must needs be subject, not only for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">wrath</span></a>, but also for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04268a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">conscience</span></a>&nbsp;sake.</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/rom005.htm#verse5"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Romans&nbsp;5:5</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;Because the more irrational, as I have already said, are wont to be sooner corrected by these things, things which appear and are at hand. Wherefore&nbsp;Christ also made mention, not of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">hell</span></a>&nbsp;only, but also of a court of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08571c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">justice</span></a>, and of being dragged there, and of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12430a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prison</span></a>, and of all the suffering there; by all these means destroying the roots of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07441a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">murder</span></a>. For he who neither reviles, nor goes to&nbsp;law, nor&nbsp;prolongs&nbsp;enmity, how will he ever commit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07441a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">murder</span></a>? So that from hence also it is evident, that in the advantage of our neighbor stands our own advantage. For he that agrees with his adversary,&nbsp;will&nbsp;benefit himself much more; becoming free, by his own&nbsp;act, from courts of&nbsp;law, and&nbsp;prisons, and the wretchedness that is there.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">14. Let us then be&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11181c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">obedient</span></a>&nbsp;to His sayings; let us not oppose ourselves, nor be contentious; for first of all, even antecedently to their rewards, these injunctions have their pleasure and profit in themselves. And if to the more part they seem to be burdensome, and the trouble which they&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03459a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">cause</span></a>, great; have it in your&nbsp;mind&nbsp;that you are doing it for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08374c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Christ's</span></a>&nbsp;sake, and the pain will be pleasant. For if we maintain this way of reckoning at all times, we shall experience nothing burdensome, but great will be the pleasure we reap from every quarter; for our toil&nbsp;will&nbsp;no longer seem toil, but by how much it is enhanced, so much the sweeter and pleasanter does it grow.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">When therefore the&nbsp;custom&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">evil</span></a>&nbsp;things, and the desire of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15571a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">wealth</span></a>, keep on&nbsp;bewitching&nbsp;you; do thou&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15546c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">war</span></a>&nbsp;against them with that mode of thinking which tells us,&nbsp;Great is the reward we shall receive, for despising the pleasure which is but for a season;&nbsp;and say to your&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14153a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">soul</span></a>;&nbsp;Are you quite dejected because I defraud you of pleasure? Nay, be of&nbsp;good&nbsp;cheer, for I am introducing you into&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07170a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Heaven</span></a>. You do it not for&nbsp;man's&nbsp;sake, but for&nbsp;God's. Be patient therefore a little while, and you shall see how great is the gain.&nbsp;Endure&nbsp;for the present life, and you shall receive an unspeakable confidence.&nbsp;For if we would thus discourse with our own&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14153a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">soul</span></a>, and not only consider that which is burdensome in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15472a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">virtue</span></a>, but take account also of the crown that comes thereof, we shall quickly withdraw it from all&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05649a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">wickedness</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">For if the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04764a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">devil</span></a>, holding out pleasure for a season, but pain for ever, is yet strong, and prevails; seeing our case is&nbsp;just&nbsp;the reverse in these matters, the labor temporary, the pleasure and profit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07687a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">immortal</span></a>, what plea shall we have, if we follow not&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15472a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">virtue</span></a>&nbsp;after so great encouragement? Why, the object of our labors is enough to set against all, and our clear persuasion that for&nbsp;God's&nbsp;sake we are enduring all this. For if one having the king his debtor, thinks he has sufficient security for all his life; consider how great&nbsp;will&nbsp;he be, who has made the&nbsp;Gracious&nbsp;and&nbsp;Everlasting&nbsp;God&nbsp;a debtor to himself, for&nbsp;good&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01115a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">deeds</span></a>&nbsp;both small and great. Do not then allege to me labors and&nbsp;sweats; for not by the&nbsp;hope&nbsp;only&nbsp;of the things to come, but in another way also,&nbsp;God&nbsp;has made&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15472a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">virtue</span></a>&nbsp;easy, assisting us everywhere, and putting His hand to our work. And if you will only contribute a little&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15753a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">zeal</span></a>, everything else follows. For to this end He will have you too to labor a little, even that the victory may be yours also. And&nbsp;just&nbsp;as a king would have his own son present indeed in the array; he would have him shoot with the bow,&nbsp;and show himself, that the trophy may be reckoned his, while he achieves it all Himself: even so does&nbsp;God&nbsp;in our&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15546c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">war</span></a>&nbsp;against the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04764a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">devil</span></a>: He requires of you one thing alone, that you show forth a sincere&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07149b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">hatred</span></a>&nbsp;against that foe. And if you contribute this to Him, He by Himself brings all the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15546c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">war</span></a>&nbsp;to an end. Though thou burn with&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01489a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">anger</span></a>, with desire of&nbsp;riches, with any&nbsp;tyrannical&nbsp;passion&nbsp;whatever; if He see you only stripping yourself and prepared against it, He comes quickly to you, and makes all things easy, and sets you above the flame, as He did those children of old in the Babylonian&nbsp;furnace: for they too carried in with them nought but their&nbsp;good&nbsp;will.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">In order then that we also may extinguish all the furnace of disordered pleasure here, and so escape the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">hell</span></a>&nbsp;that is there, let these each day be our counsels, our cares, and our practice, drawing towards us the favor of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">God</span></a>, both by our full purpose concerning&nbsp;good&nbsp;works, and by our frequent&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12345b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">prayers</span></a>. For thus even those things which appear insupportable now, will be most easy, and light, and lovely. Because, so long as we are in our&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11534a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">passions</span></a>, we think&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15472a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">virtue</span></a>&nbsp;rugged and morose and arduous,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15403c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">vice</span></a>desirable and most pleasing; but if we would stand off from these but a little, then both&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15403c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">vice</span></a>&nbsp;will appear abominable and unsightly, and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15472a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">virtue</span></a>&nbsp;easy, mild, and much to be desired. And this you may learn plainly from those who have done well. Hear, for instance, how of those&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11534a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">passions</span></a>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11567b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Paul</span></a>&nbsp;is ashamed, even after his deliverance from them, saying,&nbsp;For what fruit had ye then in those things, whereof you are now ashamed?&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/rom006.htm#verse21"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Romans&nbsp;6:21</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;But&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15472a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">virtue</span></a>, even after his labor, he&nbsp;affirms&nbsp;to be light, calling&nbsp;the laboriousness&nbsp;of our affliction momentary and&nbsp;light,&nbsp;and rejoicing in his sufferings, and&nbsp;glorying&nbsp;in his tribulations, and taking a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12405a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">pride</span></a>&nbsp;in the marks wherewith he had been branded for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08374c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Christ's</span></a>&nbsp;sake.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">In order then that we too may establish ourselves in this&nbsp;habit, let us order ourselves each day by what has been said, and&nbsp;forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, let us press on towards the prize of the high calling:&nbsp;</span><span style="background: #ffff99; font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 7.5pt;"><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/bible/phi003.htm#verse13"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Philippians&nbsp;3:13-14</span></a></span><span style="font-family: &quot;verdana&quot; , &quot;sans-serif&quot;; font-size: 12.0pt;">&nbsp;unto which&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">God</span></a>&nbsp;grant that we may all attain, by the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06689a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">grace</span></a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09397a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">love</span></a>&nbsp;towards man of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08374c.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">our Lord Jesus Christ</span></a>, to whom be&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06585a.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">glory</span></a>&nbsp;and power for ever and ever.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01407b.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Amen</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div id="google300" style="border-bottom-color: white; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-top-color: white; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-top: 5px; width: 300px;"></div><div class="pub" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"><h2 style="border-bottom-color: black; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-size: 15px;">About this page</h2><div id="src"><strong>Source.</strong>&nbsp;<span id="srctrans">Translated by George Prevost and revised by M.B. Riddle.</span>&nbsp;From&nbsp;<span id="srcwork" style="text-decoration: underline;">Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series</span>,&nbsp;<span id="srcvolume">Vol. 10.</span>&nbsp;<span id="srced">Edited by Philip Schaff.</span>&nbsp;(<span id="srcpublisher">Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co.,</span><span id="srcyear">1888.</span>)&nbsp;<span id="kk">Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight.</span>&nbsp;<span id="srcurl"><http: fathers="" htm="" www.newadvent.org="">.</http:></span></div></div><div class="feedflare">
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